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President Donald Trump is escalating his war on the media—this time by backing an appeal to a judge’s ruling that forced the White House to reinstate the Associate Press’ press credentials.
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, ordered the administration to let the AP back in after it kicked reporters out for refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” The ruling went into effect Monday, but AP reporters and photographers were still being locked out of Oval Office events, according to others in the press corps as well as the AP itself, as of midday Monday.
This isn’t just petty—it’s calculated. The strategy’s clear: Bully the press into compliance, and if that doesn’t work, slam the door shut. Outlets that hold the line—like the AP—get punished. Ones that cozy up to Trump, like The Washington Post, get a pat on the head and a few flattering social media posts.
Notably, Trump didn’t stop with the AP.
Over the weekend, he threw a tantrum about CBS News and “60 Minutes” because the show aired two segments he didn’t like: one featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and another digging into Trump’s long-running fantasy of buying Greenland. You know, the Danish autonomous territory full of actual people who want nothing to do with him or anyone from his administration?
“They should lose their license!” he raged online. “Hopefully, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as headed by its Highly Respected Chairman, Brendan Carr, will impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior. CBS is out of control, at levels never seen before, and they should pay a big price for this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The irony, of course, is that Trump still hasn’t pointed to a single thing CBS got wrong. But facts don’t matter when you’re trying to turn the press into a punching bag and whip up another culture war.
It’s convenient, really. Trump is under fire after a series of confusing—and sometimes contradictory—tariff announcements tanked the stock markets and spooked economists into warning of a looming recession. What better time to spin the narrative and cast the press—whether it be the AP or CBS—as public enemy No. 1?
Meanwhile, Trump has had little to say about an actual problem: the arson at the Pennsylvania governor’s residence and attempted murder of Gov. Josh Shapiro. Police arrested a 38-year-old man who admitted he planned to attack Shapiro with a sledgehammer. When asked about it on Monday, Trump brushed it off, calling the suspect “just a whack job.” Trump also made sure to claim the alleged arsonist “was not a fan of Trump.”
That appears to have been Trump’s first public comment on the arson—after spending the entire weekend silent. Why? Because he was too busy foaming at the mouth over his press coverage. As usual, nothing matters more to him than controlling the narrative.
This isn’t even the first time Trump’s gone after CBS. He’s suing “60 Minutes” for $10 billion over an interview with former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris that Trump claims was edited to make her look good—something the network denies. The Federal Communications Commission, with Trump’s backing, recently announced it would investigate the network.
Trump’s also gone after ABC News and NBC News, both for allegedly giving Harris preferential treatment during the 2024 campaign. ABC even folded with a legal settlement before Trump’s second term officially began.
This is where we are. In a presidency overflowing with power grabs, this latest attack on the free press is another move in the authoritarian playbook. The AP’s allies better show up now—because if the press doesn’t push back, they’re not just giving up ground. They’re laying down the red carpet.
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