The Trump administration has blocked The Wall Street Journal from joining President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Scotland, after a tense standoff over the paper’s reporting on Trump’s past connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Monday that the Journal had been removed from the official press pool traveling with the president, citing the outlet’s “fake and defamatory conduct.” Trump and a dozen other media organizations are scheduled to fly to Scotland later this week.
The move follows a Journal article published last week, which revealed that Trump had once sent Epstein a “bawdy” birthday letter back in 2003. Trump has flatly denied the claim and is now suing the Journal and its parent company for defamation, seeking a jaw-dropping $20 billion in damages.
The White House pushback hasn’t gone unnoticed. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) quickly issued a statement calling the decision “deeply troubling,” accusing the administration of retaliating against a news outlet for doing its job.
“Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media,” said WHCA President Weijia Jiang. “We urge the White House to reinstate the Journal’s access to Air Force One.”
This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has iced out media over editorial decisions. Earlier this year, the Associated Press was booted from briefings for continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico” in stories, despite Trump’s executive order renaming it the “Gulf of America.”
As for the Epstein controversy, Trump’s MAGA base has been pressing for more transparency. Many expected his administration to release explosive information about Epstein’s ties to the powerful, but a recent law enforcement memo concluding that Epstein died by suicide, and found no blackmail ring, left many disappointed.
Trump has said he once knew Epstein but cut ties with him over a decade ago.
With input from Al Jazeera
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