President Donald Trump lashed out Monday after CNN, Politico and MS NOW sued his administration over its decision to bar their journalists from the White House.
The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed during his first term and who previously ordered the administration to restore former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass.
“They have drawn a great Judge, for them,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "A man who ruled in favor of Jim Acosta, who now seems to have disappeared from the Planet. The Judge’s name is Tim Kelly, and he was, sadly, appointed by ‘TRUMP.’”
Trump appeared to prepare for a legal defeat before the judge even ruled, declaring Monday that “as usual, we’ll go for appeal because Fake News people and publications that only write negatively, and who violate our National Security by writing false and defamatory stories with unknown ‘sources,’ shouldn’t be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World.”
“It is called the Oval Office,” he continued. “And it should be treated with Decorum, Respect, and Dignity, not defiled by Third Rate Clowns, who purposefully distort, twist, and degrade with everything they write or publish.”
The president went on in his lengthy social media rant to accuse the outlets of publishing stories that are “DANGEROUS for our Country!” before promoting his past election victories.
“With such a Crooked and Corrupt Press, how did I win in such a LANDSLIDE?” Trump added. “It is because the Media has NO credibility, and that is a very bad thing for our Nation!”
He concluded by again attacking the banned outlets as “FAKE NEWS” and vowed to “fight for the Success and Safety of our Country.”
“I will do whatever is necessary to make sure that the U.S.A. thrives,” he wrote.