President Donald Trump began his second term with a compelling answer to a media establishment he believed was biased against him: more access, more voices, and more competition. By banning CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House because he objects to their coverage, Trump is abandoning that approach. The answer to a hostile press is not to use government power to discriminatorily revoke access, but rather to confront unfavorable coverage, expand the marketplace of ideas, and let the public decide whom to trust.
When Trump reentered the White House in 2025, he embraced unusually broad access for the press. He talked to reporters seemingly nonstop. He even expanded the White House press corps to include nontraditional media, adding voices instead of subtracting them. This was all in stark contrast to former President Joe Biden’s relatively limited engagement with the press. Trump sold himself, despite being 80 years old and having critics portraying him as an authoritarian, as a vital and transparent alternative. At least at first.
