Donald Trump’s escalating confrontation with the press just drew a remarkably direct response from one of Fox News’ most prominent White House journalists.
Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News senior White House correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, called on the Trump administration Saturday to immediately restore access to journalists from CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW after reporters from all three organizations were turned away from the White House.
And Heinrich did not mince words about what she believes the administration had done.
“Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment,” Heinrich said in a statement issued in her capacity as WHCA president.
The statement came after Trump’s Friday announcement that the three news organizations were banned from the White House because of coverage he considers “fake news.”
By Saturday morning, the threat had become reality.
CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein arrived for work and discovered that her credential had been deactivated.
Klein said her badge was confiscated and she was left holding only its clear plastic holder.
MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner encountered a similar situation.
Gardner said she successfully passed through two gates before reaching another checkpoint where an officer informed her that her badge had been disabled.
When she asked why, Gardner said the officer told her the decision came from above him.
POLITICO subsequently announced that White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett had also been denied entry and had her credential confiscated.
The three reporters therefore found themselves reporting on the White House from outside the very grounds they had been credentialed to cover.
That prompted Heinrich to step in.
Her position makes the response particularly notable.
Heinrich works for Fox News, a network that was not targeted by Trump’s latest order. But she also serves as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents journalists covering the presidency.
Speaking in that capacity, Heinrich warned that the consequences could extend far beyond CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW.
“The implications extend beyond these organizations,” Heinrich said.
She warned that allowing the government to exclude one news organization because of its coverage could establish a standard that might later be applied to other outlets.
“The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably,” Heinrich said.
She then pointed to previous court rulings concerning White House press access.
“That’s why courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides access to journalists, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of their reporting,” Heinrich said.
And she ended with a direct demand.
“The WHCA calls on the administration to immediately restore our colleagues’ access.”
Trump announced the ban Friday in a Truth Social post.
He accused CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO of repeatedly publishing “FAKE NEWS” and said they were banned from the White House “effective immediately.”
Trump also warned that additional news organizations could follow.
Asked about the announcement later Friday, Trump defended his decision and argued that he should not have to provide White House access to organizations whose coverage he considers dishonest.
The affected news organizations have rejected that argument.
CNN said it would continue reporting on the federal government despite attempts to restrict its physical access.
POLITICO Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger said the organization would vigorously defend its First Amendment rights.
MS NOW similarly said it intended to take necessary steps to defend its rights and the role of independent journalism.
The dispute also carries significant legal history.
During Trump’s first administration, the White House revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credential following a contentious news conference.
CNN sued.
A federal judge subsequently ordered the White House to temporarily restore Acosta’s credential, and his access was ultimately restored.
The Trump administration has also clashed with the Associated Press during his second term over White House access.
What makes Saturday’s confrontation different is that the dispute is no longer about what Trump might do.
Reporters from three national news organizations actually arrived at the White House and were denied entry.
And now the president of the organization representing the White House press corps — who also happens to be a senior Fox News correspondent — is publicly calling the action a First Amendment violation.
Her warning was not limited to the organizations already outside the gates.
If the government can exclude one news organization because officials object to its coverage, Heinrich argued, the same standard could eventually be applied to others.
For the White House press corps, that is precisely why this fight has become much bigger than CNN, POLITICO or MS NOW.
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Pat Boone recently suggested that all reporter stop attending any of Trump’s appearances. I wonder what his reaction would be?
In 2023 Trump said that he would rule as a Dictator. Little by Little he is living up to his words. But he probably won’t suspend The Constitution because his thinking is that if you criticize him YOU are a threat to his 1st Amendment Rights AND The U.S.A. Constitution and you know High Treason is punishable by Death. Amen?