Scott Bessent Has Message For Reporters Who Think They’re The Story

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ripped the legacy media Monday morning, but said he didn’t know enough about President Donald Trump’s move to ban Politico, CNN, and MS NOW from the White House to comment directly on it.

“So, Joe, I’ve been traveling. I don’t know much about it. I wasn’t in the Oval when it happened.” Bessent told CNBC’s Joe Kernen when the host asked about the ban.

When pressed further on the issue, Bessent said the legacy media needs to get back to “equilibrium” and argued that outlets unfairly cover the “most transparent president in history.” 

“For the legacy media, the equilibrium is so far out of kilter because what group is one of the few that is less popular than the U.S. Congress?” Bessent asked. “Legacy media. And why is that? Because of the perceived bias. So the American people deserve good reporting. We’ll see where this goes.”

Bessent then laid into legacy media reporters. 

“Maybe it’s a change in coverage at the White House because some of these reporters, they just don’t do their job well. We’ll have something. And then they’ll ask some crazy question,” he said.

Politico, CNN, and MS NOW sued the Trump administration on Monday, arguing, “This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.” The lawsuit added that the ban has already “severely impeded” their ability to cover the president. 

On Monday, President Trump appeared to respond to the lawsuit with a post on Truth Social, writing, “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped NOW!” 

In response to the president’s ban, the five networks that make up the White House television pool — Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News — suspended TV pool coverage of the president, meaning that Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly will go without a television crew providing video coverage.

The legacy media traditionally covers the president in a TV pool, alternating who covers events and sharing that coverage with the other outlets in the pool. The five networks issued a joint statement condemning the White House’s move, and no replacement pool has been put in place.

“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,” the networks said in the joint statement. “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” 

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