Trump can’t ban the media — the spotlight is his oxygen

President Donald Trump attended the final day of the President's Cup in Chicago at Medinah on Sunday, where Team USA rallied from behind to beat the international squad. Brandt Snedeker lifted the trophy, and Trump soaked up chants of "USA!" along with a few shouts of "four more years." The appearance gave a president facing weak poll numbers and unpopular wars at home and abroad a friendly setting before a national television audience. Trump shared images of himself joking with the American players on Truth Social, according to The Independent.

The outing came amid a dispute over press access. Fox News held the television pool slot aboard Air Force One, and CNN was announced as returning to the pool later in the week. The Independent reports that, following the ban on CNN, the five major networks had reached an understanding under which the other four could resume pool coverage, and on CNN's days the rest could decline to participate. That arrangement is now paused. Pool access lets outlets, The Independent among them, cover the president in settings otherwise closed to them.

The outlet argues that networks have little choice but to keep covering a president who makes news constantly, even on unrelated topics. It also warns that the White House Correspondents Association risks irrelevance if it seems unable to defend its own members. It notes that New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman sees Trump's greatest enjoyment in ceremonial, room-commanding aspects of the job.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →