'This reads as weakness': SE Cupp goes nuclear on Trump as media fight backfires

Conservative CNN pundit SE Cupp sounded off on President Donald Trump when talking about his media ban and predicted it will ultimately backfire.

On Thursday, SE Cupp was part of a panel discussing the ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds. The discussion came after the White House initially turned away reporters from the three outlets despite a judge's order to restore their access. Cupp said that the media should always keep fighting because the public is on its side.

"We will win this fight not because we're morally superior or better, but because the American people demand a free press," Cupp said. "They demand it, and they're not idiots. They realize, well, if he does it against these guys, what will they do against my guys when the next guy is in office?"

Cupp stressed the American people are "not stupid" and argued that they're not applauding Trump's media ban. She framed it as a move that will backfire against him.

"This read as weakness," she said. "Wherever they're coming from politically, they see this as weak."

Cupp also argued that the move doesn't have a "return on investment" for Trump.

CNN contributor and TV host Cari Champion raised the question of "what he'll do next now that this ruling is seemingly against him. Do we see him say, 'Let me walk away'?" Champion continued, "Does he decide, 'I still want to pick up. This is being defiant...I still want to fight this fight.'?"

Cupp responded by pointing out that Trump "keeps losing" the fight. "He's sued a bunch of media outlets. He has lost most of those defamation suits."

She noted that on top of losing in court over his media ban, a judge also tossed a Trump lawsuit against veteran Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer this week.

However, "some media agencies decided to capitulate and settle" in the past, Cupp warned. "That was a bad look and bad for journalists and democracy."