Marco Rubio Defends Trump’s Press Ban in Contentious ‘Today’ Show Interview: ‘We’re Not Closing CNN!’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared a tense exchange Tuesday morning with “Today” show co-host Craig Melvin over President Trump’s White House ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW, which began with Rubio insisting that the three outlets are “not banned.” “I’ve got to be honest with you,” Rubio told Melvin. “Maybe you’re not going to like to hear this, but I watch a lot of American news coverage, and it sounds, in some cases, for example, like they’re rooting for Iran. It sounds like they highlight anything Iran says in all their public statements as true, and they downplay everything American officials say as wrong. I don’t think that that is what’s behind this, but I think there’s a trend line here.” “But Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, should media outlets be banned because the president doesn’t like their coverage?” Melvin countered. When Rubio insisted that CNN, Politico and MS NOW haven’t been banned, Melvin incredulously responded, “They are banned! They’re banned from The White House.” “We’re not closing CNN,” Rubio argued. “What they want is access to the workspace that the president uses. I think The White House feels very strongly, the president feels very strongly that, ‘Why should I have people working in my building and in my office that I believe are not honestly covering my administration?’ That’s how he feels.” Pivoting, Melvin asked Rubio whether he will be following President Trump’s example and banning Politico, MS NOW and CNN reporters from his own traveling pool of reporters. “We haven’t discussed it,” Rubio said. “This is a decision The White House made about coverage in The White House, but I’ll do a press conference today. I imagine there’ll be reporters there from every outlet. I don’t ask them who they’re with.” “I don’t think The White House is saying they’re not able to cover the president,” Rubio added. “They’re going to all write stories and do stories about the president. What he is arguing is, ‘Why should I have these people? What right do they have to be embedded in this building?’ They can cover The White House. They just can’t have a desk there.” Trump announced this past Friday he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from The White House “effective immediately,” accusing the three outlets of writing “fake news” about him and his administration. In response, CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a joint lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration, contending that “the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”