President Donald Trump has suffered his latest humiliation in his war on the press, with photographers from major wire agencies and news outlets refusing to publish photos of the camera-loving president.
Photographers from The New York Times, the Associated Press, AFP, Reuters, Getty, and The Washington Post are staging a coordinated camera blackout around Trump, according to CNN’s Brian Stelter.
“In solidarity with news organizations who have had their access to the White House restricted, AP joined a group of news outlets in not publishing photographs of today’s presidential events,” Patrick Maks, a spokesperson for AP, told the Daily Beast. “No news organization—or person—should be retaliated against by the government over the words they use.”
The photographers’ cold shoulder follows America’s major TV networks—NBC, ABC, CBS, and even the normally Trump-friendly Fox News—refusing to assign a reporting crew to cover the president on Monday in protest of his decision to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House.
As a result, Trump’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for his $13 million helipad descended into a farce, with his remarks rendered virtually inaudible amid the absence of the traditional TV pool.
When reached for comment on the camera blackout, a White House spokesperson lashed out at the press.
“The Fake News has no place demanding a spot in the President’s Oval Office,” the spokesperson said. “The lies they smear are a disservice to the American public and tear at the very fabric of our Democracy. They’re completely capable of reporting from directly outside.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
