Obama on Trump's press ban: "You can't do that and say that you are still living in a democracy"
Former President Barack Obama criticized President Trump's decision to ban several news outlets from the White House, stating that such actions are incompatible with living in a democracy. Speaking at Salem State University, Obama emphasized that freedom from government retaliation against critical journalism is a foundational democratic principle. He noted the absence of Republican opposition to these bans, arguing that no substantial group is standing up to prevent similar actions by future Democratic presidents.
- ▪Trump barred CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds due to coverage he labeled as fake news.
- ▪Obama made these remarks during an event at Salem State University alongside historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
- ▪The former president described the president's inability to accept criticism as a violation of foundational democratic issues.
- ▪Obama highlighted that no significant group of Republicans is opposing the bans to protect against future reciprocal actions by Democratic presidents.
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| Original publisher | Boing Boing |
| Canonical URL | https://boingboing.net/2026/09/23/obama-trump-press-ban-democracy.html |
| Publication time | Wed, 23 Sep 2026 20:53:01 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-23T22:09:55.334Z |
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Obama on Trump's press ban: "You can't do that and say that you are still living in a democracy" Jason Weisberger 1:53 pm Wed Sep 23, 2026 Mugshots of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump Former President Barack Obama made the remarks Monday at Salem State University, after Trump barred CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds because of coverage he described as "fake news." Speaking with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin at Massachusetts' Salem State University, Obama called freedom from government retaliation against critical journalism a "foundational" issue. Trump and his cronies have long claimed to somehow represent the founding fathers, and this one is a step so far out of bounds it'll be interesting to see John Roberts' try to justify it.
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