Obama blasts Trump’s press ban as ‘unimaginable’ despite his White House trying to exclude Fox News

Former President Barack Obama critizied the Trump administration’s decision to bar a number of left-wing outlets from the White House, saying it would be “unimaginable” had his administration excluded Fox News. However, Obama’s first administration did exactly that.

Obama made the comments Saturday during remarks at Colgate University, expressing his shock at the move by the Trump White House to increase restrictions on the White House press pool. He also took aim at Americans who agree with the move, saying the country does not have a proper understanding of democracy.

“I’m trying to think what would have happened if I had said, 'You know what, Fox News, you’re out of here!'” Obama said, drawing laughs and cheers from the crowd. “It’s unimaginable!”

Obama’s comments came after President Donald Trump announced that CNN, MS Now, and Politico would be barred from the White House. Trump accused the outlets of repeatedly publishing “fake news” about his administration.

"Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The outlets subsequently reported that their journalists were denied entry to the White House. In a statement, CNN stood behind its White House reporting, saying it had been “Fair and accurate.” The outlet also accused the administration of violating constitutional protections. The Trump administration, meanwhile, had argued that it reserves the right to bar reports that are not acting in good faith.

Obama’s remarks immediately drew attention because in 2009, his own administration attempted to limit Fox News’ press access. 

During Obama’s first term, the Treasury Department attempted to arrange interviews with official Kenneth Feinberg and the major television networks in a news pool. Fox News was explicitly left out of the planned interviews. Later-released internal emails revealed that the White House officials intentionally tried to “skip Fox.” Their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful after the other networks refused to conduct interviews unless Fox was involved.

This is not the only time that left-wingers have attempted to bar Fox News from reporting on the government. In 2021, CNN hosted a segment in which it openly discussed banning the outlet from the White House press pool under the Biden administration. CNN’s Brian Stelter described Fox as “radicalized” and asked whether its status in the press pool should be reconsidered. Journalist David Zurawik, who was on the panel and agreed Fox News was a “political tool,” welcomed the discussion, saying that action may need to be taken because the network is “not supporting democracy” or “the larger value of this culture.”