President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House traces back to one ever-present aide egging him on, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump has spent weeks privately complaining that he isn't getting enough backup on cable news, the Journal reported. That simmering frustration reached a "fever pitch" on Friday when Natalie Harp, the executive assistant so devoted to feeding Trump favorable material that colleagues have nicknamed her the "human printer," showed him clips of MS NOW anchors ripping into his administration. Hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social: "I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW...and Politico...from the White House."
According to the Journal, "Twenty months into his second term, Trump isn’t getting his way—and he isn’t happy about it, according to advisers, administration officials and others close to the president."
Behind closed doors, Trump has told aides "he doesn't have enough political allies defending him on TV."
White House spokesman Steven Cheung insisted Trump's allies have "done an incredible job of getting the message out to voters," but Trump's frustration boiled over while two key advisers were unavailable: Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was in Florida announcing she's cancer-free, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt was out of reach.
The ban has roiled White House insiders, with the Journal reporting, "One senior administration official reacted with exasperation to the decision, arguing that the move would do little to achieve the president’s goal of improving press coverage, before adding, Trump has discussed 'banning news outlets from the White House before,' and Trump insiders pointing out aides "persuaded him to take less aggressive measures, such as blocking reporters from the Oval Office or limiting their participation in the pool of reporters that covers the president."