A Fox 5 camera operator was seen on video Sunday being issued what one journalist described as an “unlawful order,” one designed to shield President Donald Trump from being filmed at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
“I need the cameras off the president right now… cameras off the president right now!” an unidentified man can be heard telling a Fox 5 camera operator, who was filming Trump in his presidential suite at the IndyCar race in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
The camera operator, who isn’t seen in the video of the exchange, is heard telling the man “we’re the pool with President Trump for the entire networks: Fox, CNN, CBS, ABC” before being interrupted again.
“I understand that, but we’ve asked you to turn the cameras off the presidential suite, and we’ll be with you in a moment,” the man is heard saying.
The exchange, which was captured in Fox 5 Washington DC’s live coverage of the racing event, disturbed Emmy Award-winning television journalist Brendan Keefe.
“You can tell us where we can be. You cannot tell us what to film,” Keefe wrote in a social media post on X Sunday night. “‘Cameras off’ is an unlawful order from government, especially when recording an elected official.”
Video of Trump and first lady Melania Trump in the presidential suite during Sunday’s race went viral Sunday, with one clip – viewed nearly 3 million times as of Monday morning – appearing to show her leave her husband’s side after spotting Natalie Harp, Trump’s 35-year-old female aide who’s been referred to as the president’s "human binky" for her unusually close relationship with the commander in chief.
“The 1st Amendment allows the press to record in any place they're allowed to be present,” Keefe continued. “Case law is clear. The Constitution constrains government, not the People. The framers knew a free press & an informed electorate are the cornerstones of a free democratic republic.”