President Donald Trump’s rocky relationship with the bulk of the “fake news” media is well-known, but there are a few outlets that he approves of.
Trump singled out Breitbart News for praise Friday while arguing that most major news organizations do not cover him fairly, making the remarks as he defended his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
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Trump discussed his relationship with the press during an Oval Office exchange after announcing that journalists from the three organizations would no longer be permitted on White House grounds because of coverage he considers inaccurate.
Asked by Washington Examiner reporter Naomi Lim about the legal basis for the restrictions, Trump shifted to his broader complaints about media coverage of his presidency and political career.
Trump said Breitbart provides him with fair coverage and added that he receives some favorable treatment from Fox News, although he also criticized the network’s polling.
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“I get it from Breitbart,” Trump said, while adding that he gets “a little bit from Fox.”
The president contrasted those outlets with other national news organizations that he has repeatedly accused of publishing false or unfair stories about him.
Trump pointed to his 2024 election victory while arguing that his electoral performance was not reflected in the way he is portrayed by much of the national media.
“I won the presidency. I won all seven swing states. I won the popular vote. I won 87% of the counties. That’s why the maps are all red when you look, except for two little blue lines on each side on each coast. I won a landslide, and I get no — I get, I don’t get fair press. I get it from Breitbart. I get it from a little bit from Fox. Fox is the worst. I think Fox has, frankly, the worst polls in the whole business,” Trump said.
His remarks came hours after he announced on Truth Social that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House.
Trump said the action was based on what he described as years of inaccurate reporting rather than a single story.
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“You get sick of it,” Trump told reporters when asked about the decision.
Trump also suggested that additional news organizations could eventually face similar restrictions.
The president argued that the government should be permitted to deny White House access to organizations that repeatedly publish information he considers false.
CNN and Politico rejected that reasoning.
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CNN said it stood behind the work of its White House journalists and argued that preventing its reporters from accessing the White House because of their coverage would violate constitutional protections for the press.
Politico similarly said it would continue covering the administration and would defend its First Amendment rights against attempts to restrict access.
The restrictions moved from announcement to enforcement Saturday.
Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico said they were denied entry to the White House grounds, with CNN and MS NOW journalists reporting that their credentials had been deactivated. Politico said one of its White House reporters had her badge confiscated.
The dispute raises legal questions because federal courts have previously limited the government’s ability to revoke White House press access based on a journalist’s reporting.
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During Trump’s first term, CNN sued after the White House revoked correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credential following a contentious 2018 news conference. A federal judge ordered the administration to temporarily restore Acosta’s access while the dispute proceeded.
Trump’s second administration has also been engaged in a continuing legal dispute with The Associated Press over restrictions imposed on the news organization’s access to certain presidential events.
Trump has maintained that the latest restrictions are justified because, in his view, the affected organizations have repeatedly reported inaccurate information.
The outlets and press-freedom advocates contend that the government cannot punish journalists because officials dislike the content or viewpoint of their reporting.
The White House has argued more broadly that access to particularly limited presidential spaces — including the Oval Office and the traveling press pool — can be managed by the administration.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
