CNN says Americans have lost faith in Trump as a leader; MSNow accuses him of punishing speech he dislikes; Politico criticizes plan to use Pentagon to control AI

US President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions as he boards Air Force One bound for Dallas, Texas, where the Republican National Convention is being held, on Tuesday (local time). [AFP]
US President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions as he boards Air Force One bound for Dallas, Texas, where the Republican National Convention is being held, on Tuesday (local time). [AFP]

CNN, MSNow, Politico and other major US outlets banned from the White House by order of President Donald Trump have launched a coordinated wave of criticism against him, saying a string of controversial statements and policies ahead of the midterm elections is eroding public trust in his leadership.

In a front-page story Sunday (local time) headlined "Trump's bizarre 12 days," CNN said the most underappreciated reason for Trump's deteriorating political standing is that "Americans have lost confidence in his ability as a leader."

CNN first took aim at Trump's announcement on Sept. 9-10 that he would give every adult citizen $5,000 if Republicans retained their majorities in both chambers of Congress in the midterms, calling it "an obvious quid pro quo." A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 66 percent of registered voters considered the proposal inappropriate, while only 18 percent said it was appropriate.

The network also panned his visit to North Carolina on Wednesday, where he jokingly threatened to withhold disaster relief if a Democratic senator were elected, calling the remarks "cringe-worthy" and "not funny at all."

CNN said there was no evidence to support Trump's claim that the 2024 assassination attempt against him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was "a Democratic plot to eliminate" him.

The network also said it "makes no sense" for Trump to threaten to cut off trade with countries running trade surpluses with the United States unless the Federal Reserve cuts its benchmark interest rate, while claiming such a move would benefit America.

His attempt to add his name to the Kennedy Center — Washington's premier performance venue — also draws fire. CNN called the move "clearly illegal" but noted that Trump had spent considerable time trying to find a way to make it happen.

"If you're heading into a midterm election where the party's hold on power is at stake and voters have real doubts about your stability as a leader, these are things you'd want to avoid," CNN said. "But Trump is doing the opposite, escalating the eccentricity."

The ban itself also came under fire. MSNow said presidents who restrict press access have typically offered other justifications — national security, space constraints or decorum — but that Trump "has abandoned even those pretexts."

Trump cited CNN, MSNow and Politico's alleged habit of "constantly writing or reporting fiction and lies" as the reason for the ban. MSNow, however, said the White House had not provided a single specific example of a false story, and accused Trump of "using White House access to punish speech he dislikes."

MSNow added that the damage from the move extends beyond the outlets that lost their credentials. It said the action could also signal to outlets that still have access what conditions the president places on coverage. The harm to press freedom and the public's right to know, MSNow said, is "harder to measure than a confiscated press badge, but far more important."

An MSNow reporter whose credentials were revoked wrote in a separate column that, with Trump preparing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the ban raises the question of "what message this sends to the leader of an authoritarian state where press freedom in effect does not exist and the media is under state control."

Politico trained its sights on Trump's AI policy. Trump has dismissed calls for caution on AI development as a "scam" and announced he would appoint an "AI czar" to oversee the issue.

Politico said the move amounted to an attempt "to use the Pentagon to control AI rather than regulate it through civilian institutions." It also said Trump's dismissiveness toward concerns that AI could pose a threat to humanity was, like his handling of the cost-of-living crisis, "the latest example of appearing not to understand voters' anxieties."

One Republican lawmaker told Politico that Trump's repeated controversial remarks were counterproductive, saying, "It helps the election if the president says less."


sjy@heraldcorp.com