House Majority Leader Steve Scalise appeared on ABC’s "This Week" to discuss President Trump's decision to ban three major news outlets from the White House, stating he was unaware of the reasons behind the move. Scalise also defended the administration’s relationship with the press and emphasized that President Trump has been more open compared to previous administrations. He addressed economic concerns by highlighting efforts to lower gas prices, which have risen 55 cents per gallon higher than in blue states due to perceived regulatory burdens there.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 25, US TV networks resumed coverage of President Donald Trump’s events at the White House after a judge ordered the administration to lift its ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The ban was imposed last week due to what Trump described as unfavorable press coverage. Despite the reinstatement, tensions remain high; the networks ceased filming White House events in solidarity with banned outlets earlier in the week, resulting in no pool footage during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit on September 24-25. The court battle continues, and CNN was barred from traveling with Trump to Tennessee for a weekend trip, though reasons were not officially provided by the administration.
Written for “White House Press Access Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 182 other(s) covering the same event.
'I don't know why he did it': House Majority Leader Scalise on partial White House press ban
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he → know → ban
Scalise defended Trump's openness with the press.
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Scalise → defend → press
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.
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he → say → it
I don't know what the background is,” Scalise said to ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
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Scalise → know → Karl
President Trump announced on Friday that he would be barring reporters from MS Now, CNN and Politico from the White House.
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he → announce → House
On Saturday, reporters from each organization said they were denied entry to the White House grounds and had their passes revoked.
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passes → say → grounds
“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.
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Trump → write → 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.’
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president → say → press
“I don't think we've had a president that's been more open to the press,” said Scalise Sunday on "This Week."
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Scalise → think → 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.
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everybody → look → questions
Trump’s ban on the three news outlets came after a week of political setbacks.
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ban → come → setbacks
Ahead of November’s high-stakes midterms, the economy is poised to be a top issue as voters head to the polls.
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voters → poise → polls
According to a new Fox News poll, prices of gas, groceries and other goods remain top issues for voters.
uncertain
prices → accord → voters
When pressed on voters’ economic concerns, Scalise defended the GOP’s dedication to lowering prices
“I share concerns about affordability.
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I → press → affordability
If you look at gas prices, we've been working to try to bring gas prices down,” Scalise said.
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Scalise → look → prices
“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.
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they → do → cost
We're working to bring the cost down," Scalise added.
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Scalise → work → cost
Trump also faced opposition from his own party this week on his immigration crackdown.
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Trump → face → 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.
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Salazar → break → bloc
“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” Salazar said in the ad.
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Salazar → go → ad
“The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”
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you → help → 2024
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.”
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States → say → border
“We've seen gains in the last few years amongst Hispanics.
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We → see → Hispanics
Two years ago, President Trump did better than than a lot of Republican presidents with Hispanic voters.
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Trump → do → voters
But one of the things President Trump ran on is that he would secure the border,” said Scalise.
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Scalise → run → border
The Aporia
