Trump Meets Zohran Mamdani, Faces Press Ban Lawsuit From CNN, Politico, MS NOW

Press ban meets legal fight

President Donald Trump met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at his official residence as the two discussed issues affecting the city and acknowledged their differences, particularly over Trump’s restrictions on the press. CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against Trump’s White House ban after the companies said their reporters were denied access to the building on Saturday.

CNN, Politico and MS NOW said in a joint statement that they were pursuing legal action to "defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports". Trump responded to the lawsuit by calling the news organisations "Third Rate Clowns" and "Crooked and Corrupt Press" that "trivialise and demean" his achievements.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraBBC

Mamdani offers an alternative

Zohran Mamdani told Trump that he would gather all media representatives at his official residence, Gracie Mansion, after facing him openly over the White House’s decision to restrict access for a number of media outlets.

Mamdani said, "I told the President that we will gather all media representatives here in the White House courtyard, this is something I believe in."

Trump defended his decision regarding the media by saying that the outlets that announced boycotting his appearance did not actually implement it, adding, "They said they would boycott me, but they never did. Look at all this press coverage."

Trump also accused some outlets of publishing what he called 'fake news,' saying that what they publish harms the country and national security.

Reporting for this sectionAl-Jazeera Net

First Amendment and access

The BBC reported that the First Amendment forbids the government from "abridging" the freedom of the press, language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage. CNN, Politico and MS NOW asked a judge in US District Court in Washington to quickly rule Trump’s ban unconstitutional and prevent his aides from enforcing it.

The BBC said the White House later launched a streaming channel, Trump TV, after major US networks suspended their pooled coverage of the president ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. After the meeting, Mamdani said, "I told the president that we're going to have all of the members of the press here on the lawn, and that is something that I believe in."

Reporting for this sectionBBC