Amid President Donald Trump’s ban on three outlets from the White House, Vice President JD Vance went on to defend the president's move on Monday, Sept. 21, saying it was "totally appropriate."
"He’s not banning media outlets. What he’s doing is saying 'we’re not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively propaganda,'" Vance, who has previously championed free speech in Europe, told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Monday.
The vice president’s remarks come after CNN, MS NOW and Politico announced they were suing the Trump administration after being barred from White House grounds last week.
"If you’re going to engage in what is effectively far-left propaganda, why would a Republican White House give
you special access?" the vice president added.
When asked by reporters how Trump’s move is not a direct attack on free speech, Vance said the barred outlets could still report on the White House.
"It’s about basic fairness. They can still report. They still have the access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore, and I think it’s totally appropriate, unless of course, they start to behave like real news organizations," Vance said.
A heightening war
Apart from Monday’s lawsuit, four of the five networks that make up the television pool – ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News – said they would be suspending their pool coverage of the White House in solidarity with CNN.
The suspension means that camera crews from the networks would no longer cover most of Trump’s pool events, with the president set to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
Bryan Boughton, DC bureau chief of Fox News and chair of the television pool, relayed the decision in a Sept. 21 email to pool members.
"This follows the White House's position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties," Boughton said in the email, which was obtained by USA TODAY. "There will be no replacement pool put in place."
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vance defends Trump media ban: 'totally appropriate'
