Obama Slams President Donald Trump Over CNN, Politico Ban as His Own Media Feud Resurfaces

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Barack Obama criticized Donald Trump’s decision to restrict access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico at the White House, while his own administration faced criticism in 2009 over an effort involving Fox News.

The 80-year-old President added another twist to his fraught relationship with the media last week, announcing that he is "immediately" banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

Trump said the outlets "constantly write or report fiction or lies" about his administration, but he gave no examples.

He doubled down on the ban while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, pointing to the “cumulative stories” the three outlets have published over the years.

The three news organizations condemned the restrictions, while the White House Correspondents’ Association called for reporters’ access to be restored.

Obama attacks Trump over media ban

During a panel discussion at Colgate University, the Former President criticized Trump’s media ban, saying “My imagination could not foresee some of the stuff that is going on right now.”

“I’m trying to think what would have happened if I had said, you know what, Fox News, you’re out of here! It’s unimaginable!”

“If you have a certain cohort, let’s call it 30 to 35% of the country right now, which thinks that’s okay, what that means is that we have not developed the kind of understanding of what democracy requires, and we’ve got to shore that back up,” he continued.

Obama administration’s attempt to curtail Fox News

In 2009, the Obama administration sought to curtail Fox News’ pool reporters from interviewing his “executive-pay czar,” Kenneth Feinberg, while allowing other outlets in the pool to participate. Obama and his administration also publicly questioned Fox News’ status as a legitimate news organization, according to New York Post. 

“We see Fox right now as the source and the outlet for Republican Party talking points,” then-White House Communications director Anita Dunn argued at the time.

“And it’s fine if that’s, you know, how they want to build their business model,” Dunn said. “But we don’t think we need to treat them as though they are a news organization the way other news organizations here are treated.”

Obama appeared to support the effort to exclude Fox News at the time, telling NBC News, “If media is operating basically as a talk radio format, that’s one thing. But it’s not something I’m losing a lot of sleep over.”

The top TV networks at the time, including CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, protested the White House’s move, and ultimately the Obama administration backed down.

The Obama administration also faced criticism for secretly getting phone records of dozens of Associated Press phone lines, as well as those of other outlets.

Under former Attorney General Eric Holder, the administration used subpoenas and other aggressive tactics against the press as part of investigations into leaks. Following widespread backlash, officials conducted a comprehensive review and introduced reforms, including new rules aimed at protecting reporters.

Not just Obama, but even the Former President Joe Biden's administration faced criticism over its treatment of conservative media outlets, with the New York Post being excluded from access to some events and other conservative news organizations facing similar restrictions at times.