Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel are weighing in on President Donald Trump's latest battle with the press.
On their Sept. 21 shows, the late-night hosts both slammed Trump's move to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. After playing a clip where Trump complained about media outlets writing negative stories about him, Stewart shot back, "Have you tried presidenting better? You could ban the press, or you could be a better ... president. I mean, give the press something to work with!"
"Have we ever had a president, just flat out in the Oval Office, come out against the Constitution?" he also asked, adding that Trump "doesn't even respect us enough to pretend he's bound by our Constitution."
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In a significant escalation of his attacks on the press, Trump announced on Sept. 18 that he would immediately ban the three media outlets from accessing the White House, writing on Truth Social that they "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America."
Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were subsequently denied entry to the White House. The news outlets sued the Trump administration on Sept. 21, accusing the Trump administration of a "direct assault on the First Amendment" and a "blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles."
In solidarity with the banned outlets, major TV networks suspended pool coverage of the White House.
Kimmel also addressed the media ban on his Sept. 21 show: After playing a clip of Trump complaining about his press coverage, the comedian imitated the sound of a baby crying.
"They are not allowed in the White House by order of the president, which everyone knows is an attack on freedom of the press," Kimmel said, adding that "what he's doing is positively un-American."
In other news, Stewart also discussed Trump's recent announcement that he would create an "AI force," which the president wrote on Truth Social would "not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry" but would "cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows."
"It's AI, not E.T.!" Stewart quipped. "You don't need to protect it and cherish it ... I mean, cherish it? Watch over it? You didn't even do that with your own kids."
Kimmel, for his part, questioned Trump's "very casual attitude about AI," noting Americans are "worried" about artificial intelligence "whether he thinks we should be or not."
Contributing: Joey Garrison and BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jon Stewart slams Trump media ban – 'Have you tried presidenting better?'
