Readers — last night, the Trump administration kicked out HuffPost White House correspondent S.V. Date from the press pool that covers the president. This came two weeks after Date assertively asked President Donald Trump questions that he apparently did not want to answer — eliciting a belligerent, defensive response from the president.
This is an extraordinary display of weakness from a United States president who is afraid to face tough questions from pros like Date. The White House brags about how many questions Trump takes, but he’s evidently too scared to take any from HuffPost.
Blocking HuffPost — and The Associated Press — is a spineless act that breaks with decades of precedent. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time in office, the White House pool has provided Americans with transparent, independent reporting on the president. Outlets with a range of perspectives have participated in this duty and consistently delivered impartial coverage of the movements of the most powerful person in the world.
This is not a partisan concern. As Fox News chief White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich wrote, anyone who thinks MAGA benefits from this move is “dead wrong” — because the public needs trusted reporting on the president.
This White House is showing again and again that it fears independent coverage of its actions. It’s not hard to see why: The Trump administration has blown past constitutional limits, unleashing chaos and empowering the world’s richest man to serve as America’s erratic boss.
For nearly 20 years, HuffPost has offered an invaluable perspective on American politics. We were the first web-only outlet to question a president at a White House press briefing. And we are not backing down now. We will aggressively, fairly and honestly cover this administration. But we need your help. HuffPost members help support our critical coverage and can get a streamlined, ad-free reading experience. Please consider directly backing our work today.