Trump’s MS NOW White House ban faces temporary court order
A judge temporarily restored access for MS NOW, CNN and Politico as Symone Sanders-Townsend discussed Trump and Hasan Piker.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
President Donald Trump’s reported MS NOW White House ban was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, according to Fortune. The dispute has put press access at the White House under scrutiny while MS NOW host Symone Sanders-Townsend has also addressed her network’s interview with streamer Hasan Piker.
Fortune reported that Trump announced Sept. 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the outlets of reporting “FICTION and LIES.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment, the publication said.
What happened with Trump’s MS NOW White House ban?
The three outlets sued after Trump’s announcement, according to Fortune. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly later ordered their access restored for 14 days, finding that the restriction was likely unconstitutional, Fortune reported.
The report said the access question remained unsettled in practice. Hours after the order, MS NOW correspondent Laura Barrón-López and two CNN journalists were turned away from the arrival ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state dinner, according to Fortune.
Sanders-Townsend, a former spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris, told Fortune that a legal right is of limited value if it is not honored in day-to-day practice. She also described the administration’s actions as retribution, an assessment attributed to her.
She said Trump and White House personnel watch MS NOW even as Trump criticizes the network. That is Sanders-Townsend’s assertion; the reporting does not independently establish that Trump watched a specific MS NOW program.
What did Sanders-Townsend say about Hasan Piker?
Sanders-Townsend and her “Clock It” co-host, Eugene Daniels, interviewed Piker in September. During that conversation, she asked whether his political activity was helping candidates win, according to MS NOW’s account of the interview.
Sanders-Townsend said she would advise candidates to disavow Piker if she were serving as a campaign strategist, consultant or political director. The program’s YouTube description also said she made that point while challenging Piker’s claim that his views better reflect the public than the national Democratic Party.
Her comments did not amount to a rejection of interviewing him. She told Fortune that she and Daniels invited Piker on so they could speak directly with him rather than discuss him from afar. She also agreed with Piker’s argument that Republicans focus on him instead of the issues he raises.
Sanders-Townsend said candidates face different considerations when a creator moves from their own platform to appear alongside a candidate. Piker, who describes himself as a socialist and anti-imperialist, told MS NOW that his beliefs are closer to the majority view than the national Democratic Party’s positions. MS NOW reported that he acknowledged his streaming audience does not represent the full electorate.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.