Trump won’t let me fly with him today — but he can’t silence me

The White House has removed The Independent's reporter from the press pool for President Donald Trump's Thursday trip to Sioux City, Iowa, a day after a heated Oval Office exchange. The reporter, who was due to hold the print pool seat on Air Force One, received an unsigned email from the press office on Wednesday with no explanation, and says a request for one has gone unanswered.

The dispute began Tuesday at the unveiling of a tip line offering whistleblowers up to $30,000 for reporting what the administration deems fraud. After the reporter questioned the program's necessity and kept trying to follow up, Trump called the reporter a "sick person." The administration's rapid response operation then used a slur for people with developmental disabilities, and Vice President J.D. Vance used his official X account to call the reporter an imbecile.

The reporter contends that interruptions are routine at Trump events and that the White House, having taken control of pool rotation from the White House Correspondents Association, now ensures many reporters present come from ideologically driven outlets. The reporter says the same adversarial approach applied under Joe Biden and would apply to any future president.

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