'I don't know why he did it': House Majority Leader Scalise on partial White House press ban
House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise said Sunday that he was unsure what prompted President Trump’s Friday ban of three major news outlets from the White House.
“I don't know why he did it. I don't know what the background is,” Scalise said to ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
President Trump announced on Friday that he would be barring reporters from MS Now, CNN and Politico from the White House. On Saturday, reporters from each organization said they were denied entry to the White House grounds and had their passes revoked.
“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,” said Trump in the ban’s announcement.
The White House Correspondents Association president said in a statement that "the president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a 'ban on the free press.’"
“I don't think we've had a president that's been more open to the press,” said Scalise Sunday on "This Week." “Look, I've been at– you go to a bill signing with President Trump, and the first thing he does before he even signs the bill is he brings in the press, and everybody gets to not only take pictures but ask questions.”
Trump’s ban on the three news outlets came after a week of political setbacks. Ahead of November’s high-stakes midterms, the economy is poised to be a top issue as voters head to the polls. According to a new Fox News poll, prices of gas, groceries and other goods remain top issues for voters.
When pressed on voters’ economic concerns, Scalise defended the GOP’s dedication to lowering prices
“I share concerns about affordability. If you look at gas prices, we've been working to try to bring gas prices down,” Scalise said.
“Gas prices are 55 cents a gallon higher than blue states because a lot of their mandates and ridiculous things that they do to jack up the cost. We're working to bring the cost down," Scalise added.
Trump also faced opposition from his own party this week on his immigration crackdown. Florida Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a longtime ally of the president, broke with him by releasing an ad calling out adverse effects of his immigration policy on the Hispanic voting bloc.
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar said in the ad. “The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
Scalise said on “This Week” that he didn't agree with Salazar’s ad and defended the administration, claiming that United States has the “most secure border right now.”
“We've seen gains in the last few years amongst Hispanics. Two years ago, President Trump did better than than a lot of Republican presidents with Hispanic voters. But one of the things President Trump ran on is that he would secure the border,” said Scalise.
