Latest news with #presspool
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump bans Wall Street Journal from Scotland trip press pool over Epstein report
A Wall Street Journal reporter was kicked out of Donald Trump's press pool for his upcoming weekend trip to Scotland. The removal marked increased retaliation after the newspaper published an article alleging the US president sent Jeffrey Epstein a 50th birthday letter that included a drawing of a naked woman. The US president promptly sued the paper for $10bn. 'As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,' said White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, in a statement. 'Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the President's trip to Scotland. Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board. Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible.' Tarini Parti, the reporter selected for removal, was not one of the writers of the Epstein piece. Trump is headed to Scotland to work on the UK-US trade deal, and to visit his golf courses in Scotland. The Guardian US also confirmed the reporter's removal. Prior to the second Trump administration, decisions regarding the White House press pool were in the hands of the White House Correspondents' Association. Seats in the press pool are highly coveted, and crucial for media that wish to stay on the cutting edge of politics coverage. The administration initially banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other exclusive access after the outlet declined to use Trump's new moniker for the Gulf of Mexico. The decision for the administration to control the press pool came shortly after. White House Correspondents Association president, Weijia Jiang, spoke strongly against the decision to remove Parti from the Scotland trip's press pool. She said the administration had yet to clarify whether the ban was temporary, or if it was permanently barring Wall Street Journal reporters from the press pool. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment. Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media,' Jiang wrote in a statement to The Guardian US. Trump's fury over the Epstein article comes amidst increasing scrutiny over his relationship with the now deceased Epstein. One of Epstein's first public accusers said she urged the FBI to investigate Trump's relationship with Epstein decades ago. Trump is also named as a friend of Epstein in early 2000's write-ups from Vanity Fair and NYMag. In a rare crack in armor, Trump appears to have lost control over the Epstein narrative to some Maga-faithful, with the unreleased files opening huge rifts among some of Trump's most die-hard supporters. The Wall Street Journal has stood by the accuracy of its reporting, which the Guardian has not been able to verify. 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,' a Dow Jones spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump bans Wall Street Journal from Scotland trip press pool over Epstein report
A Wall Street Journal reporter was kicked out of Donald Trump's press pool for his upcoming weekend trip to Scotland. The removal marked increased retaliation after the newspaper published an article alleging the US president sent Jeffrey Epstein a 50th birthday letter that included a drawing of a naked woman. The US president promptly sued the paper for $10bn. 'Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board,' said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement provided to Politico, making the motives behind the removal clear. 'Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible.' Tarini Parti, the reporter selected for removal, was not one of the writers of the Epstein piece. Trump is headed to Scotland to work on the UK-US trade deal, and to visit his golf courses in Scotland. The Guardian US also confirmed the reporter's removal. Prior to the second Trump administration, decisions regarding the White House press pool were in the hands of the White House Correspondents' Association. Seats in the press pool are highly coveted, and crucial for media that wish to stay on the cutting edge of politics coverage. The administration initially banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other exclusive access after the outlet declined to use Trump's new moniker for the Gulf of Mexico. The decision for the administration to control the press pool came shortly after. White House Correspondents Association president, Weijia Jiang, spoke strongly against the decision to remove Parti from the Scotland trip's press pool. She said the administration had yet to clarify whether the ban was temporary, or if it was permanently barring Wall Street Journal reporters from the press pool. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment. Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media,' Jiang wrote in a statement to The Guardian US. Trump's fury over the Epstein article comes amidst increasing scrutiny over his relationship with the now deceased Epstein. One of Epstein's first public accusers said she urged the FBI to investigate Trump's relationship with Epstein decades ago. Trump is also named as a friend of Epstein in early 2000's write-ups from Vanity Fair and NYMag. In a rare crack in armor, Trump appears to have lost control over the Epstein narrative to some Maga-faithful, with the unreleased files opening huge rifts among some of Trump's most die-hard supporters. The Wall Street Journal has stood by the accuracy of its reporting, which the Guardian has not been able to verify. 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit,' a Dow Jones spokesperson wrote in a statement.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
White House removes Wall Street Journal reporter from Trump's Scotland trip over the paper's Epstein story
The White House has removed a Wall Street Journal reporter from the press pool for President Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland, over the Journal's story on what it called a "bawdy" birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein that the paper alleged was signed by Mr. Trump in the early 2000s. A Wall Street Journal reporter was slated to join the president and a small group of other reporters aboard Air Force One as a part of the traveling press pool for Mr. Trump's trip to Scotland later this month. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that because of what she called the paper's "fake and defamatory conduct," the Wall Street Journal will not participate. Mr. Trump filed a libel lawsuit over the story on Friday, asking for at least $20 billion in damages. "Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the president's trip to Scotland. Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board," Leavitt said in a statement. "Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible." The Wall Street Journal has not yet responded to a request for comment. The paper has stood by its reporting. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal published a story claiming the letter, from the early 2000s, featured Mr. Trump's signature as well as a birthday message and a drawing of a nude woman. According to the Journal's report, it was collected in a book along with letters from other friends and acquaintances to mark Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The president has denied the report, calling the letter a "FAKE." CBS News has not reviewed or verified the letter. Mr. Trump is visiting his ancestral home of Scotland from July 25-29, with stops in Aberdeen and Turnberry, where he owns golf courses. Being a part of the press pool allows a small but rotating group of reporters access to the president's daily happenings and travels, often offering journalists opportunities to ask questions of the president. The White House Correspondents' Association urged the Trump administration to reverse its decision. "This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment. Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media," said WHCA President Weijia Jiang, who also serves as CBS News' senior White House correspondent. The Trump administration has asserted more power over the press pool than prior administrations, which have usually deferred to the White House press corps to decide who participates and when. The Associated Press's access to spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One was curtailed earlier this year for not abiding by Mr. Trump's decision to change the Gulf of Mexico's name to the Gulf of America. The wire service sued over the change, winning an early victory in district court, but an appeals court eventually let the Trump administration limit the AP's access to restricted spaces. "As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces," Leavitt said in a Rinaldi contributed to this report.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House Removes WSJ From Scotland Press Pool Over Epstein Article
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said The Wall Street Journal has been removed from the press pool covering President Donald Trump's Scotland trip because of the paper's story about a sexually suggestive birthday letter Trump allegedly once gave Jeffrey Epstein. 'Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board,' Leavitt said Monday in a statement, marking the latest instance of the White House blockingoutlets from reporting opportunities. 'Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible,' she continued. Leavitt added the outlets allowed to cover the trip ― which is set to run from Friday through the following Tuesday ― will be 'diverse.' Trump has visits scheduled to Turnberry and Aberdeen, home to Trump golf courses, and to meet with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss the U.S.-UK trade deal. The retaliation against the Journal comes days after Trump filed a lawsuit against the reporters who wrote the story and the paper's owners, saying the letter is a fabrication. 'Defendants concocted this story to malign President Trump's character and integrity and deceptively portray him in a false light,' says the lawsuit, which seeks at least $10 billion in damages. The lawsuit claims the story was 'malicious, deliberate, and despicable' and that it will cause 'overwhelming financial and reputational harm' to the president. Trump announced the complaint in a rage-filled Truth Social post. 'This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media,' he wrote. The 2003 letter the Journal exposed includes the drawing of an outline of a naked woman's body and a cryptic message to the late sex offender reading: 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' The message features Trump's signature, though he asserts he had nothing to do with the note or the drawing. 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' he told the Journal. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' The letter reportedly was among the materials reviewed by the Justice Department during an earlier investigation of Epstein, who hanged himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sweeping sex trafficking charges. It's unclear if it's one of the records recently reviewed by Trump's Justice Department, which shocked the president's base when it announced it wasn't released anymore Epstein files and was effectively closing the case earlier this month. Related... Trump Sues WSJ Reporters, Murdoch For Libel After Epstein Birthday Card Story Trump's Calendar Girls Party Had Only 1 Other Guest: Jeffrey Epstein Request To Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts Likely To Disappoint, Ex-Prosecutors Say
CNN
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Trump White House removes Wall Street Journal from Scotland trip press pool over Epstein report
When the White House took control of the so-called 'press pool' that accompanies the president, journalists worried that the Trump administration would use that power to punish news outlets. First it was the Associated Press; now it's the Wall Street Journal. On Monday, the White House said it will remove the Journal from one of the coveted press seats on President Trump's upcoming trip to Scotland. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the change was made 'due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct,' a reference to the publication's recent story about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. The July 17 story described a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003, including a note bearing Trump's name and an outline of a naked woman. Trump filed a lawsuit the next day claiming defamation 'because no authentic letter or drawing exists.' Now the White House is using a tool at its disposal — control over access to Trump — to retaliate against the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper. A Journal reporter (who was not involved with the Epstein birthday letter story) was slated to serve in the press pool during the president's trip to his Scottish golf courses. Until earlier this year, pool assignments were determined by the White House Correspondents' Association, an independent group that represents the press corps. However, in February, Leavitt cut the group out and took control of the pool, giving the administration a new form of leverage. The pool is a small group of journalists who travel with the president and cover events on behalf of the entire press corps. Having a pool rotation is critical because many presidential events, such as Oval Office photo ops and Air Force One Q&As, often take place in small group settings. Leavitt cut the correspondents' association out of the picture while Trump battled the AP over its labeling of the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump directed the US government to rename as the Gulf of America. The AP is a global news outlet, so its stories still refer to the Gulf of Mexico while also acknowledging Trump's order. That prompted a months-long legal dispute over press access. 'As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,' Leavitt said Monday. 'Thirteen diverse outlets will participate in the press pool to cover the President's trip to Scotland,' she added, before saying the Journal would not be one of them. The White House did not immediately respond to a follow-up question about which news outlet will take the Journal's place. A spokesperson for the Journal declined to comment on the retaliatory act. But in response to inquiries about the lawsuit last week, a spokesperson said, 'We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.'
