Vance Defends White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico
The remarks followed a lawsuit filed by the three news organizations against President Donald Trump and his administration, alleging that the access restrictions violate their First Amendment rights.
When a reporter pressed Vance on whether it was appropriate for the president to shut out news organizations simply because he objects to their coverage, the vice president disputed the framing of the question outright.
"He's not banning media outlets," Vance said. "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 went on to assert that roughly 92% of the three outlets' coverage of Trump and his administration skews negative, a pattern he said fails to reflect broader public sentiment.
"So, if you're going to engage in what is effectively far-left propaganda, why would a Republican White House give you special access?" he said.
Reporters also pressed Vance on the apparent tension between the crackdown and his own prior remarks in defense of free speech, asking whether the move constituted an assault on press freedom. Vance dismissed the comparison, maintaining that the outlets retain full ability to cover the administration and engage with officials outside the White House grounds.
"They can still report on the Trump White House," Vance said. "They can still get the public reports. They can still, of course, talk to people in the administration and outside the administration."
He framed the policy narrowly, describing it as a matter of physical access rather than a restriction on the outlets' journalism.
"What the president has said is, 'We're not going to give you special access inside the White House'," he said.
"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."
The credential revocations took effect last week, when Trump ordered reporters from all three outlets barred from the White House compound. Security personnel enforced the directive Saturday morning, turning away journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico at the gates.
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