Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday said that, if he were Donald Trump, he would ban several major news organizations from covering the president-elect.
“@politico @CNN @NBCNews @CNBC @MSNBC @nytimes @ABC @CBSNews,” Hannity tweeted. “Are all biased and Corrupt. ‘Fake News.’ If I were @realDonaldTrump NO ACCESS!”
Hannity’s tweet comes on the heels of remarks on his Fox News show Tuesday night in which he urged Donald Trump to freeze out the press.
“The media already had its chance to cover Donald Trump fairly and honestly,” Hannity said. “They blew it. And in my opinion, it’s time to re-evaluate the press in this country, and maybe it’s time to change the traditional relationship that the press will have with the White House.”
Since he has the ability to reach Americans directly, Donald Trump can convey his message directly to Americans, Hannity said.
“In this day and age with Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, does Trump really need to be granting access to biased journalists that openly oppose him?” Hannity asked. “They should not have the privilege, they should not have the responsibility of covering the president on behalf of you, the American people.”
Trump has bypassed the press corps covering the presidential transition on multiple occasions since the election. He did not allow reporters to follow him to the White House to cover his meeting with President Obama. Later, he slipped reporters for a dinner with his family at the Manhattan’s 21 Club.
In response, the White House Correspondents’ Association issued a statement calling Trump’s press-free excursions “unacceptable.” A coalition of news associations has called on Trump to uphold traditions of White House coverage.
