‘Bad Precedent’: Newsmax Boss and Longtime Trump Pal Chris Ruddy Hits Trump’s Media Ban

Screenshot via BBC

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy is urging his friend President Donald Trump to reverse his current media ban, warning it sets a “bad precedent.”

Ruddy made it clear in new interviews that he is not a fan of Trump banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Trump said he banned the outlets from the White House grounds for publishing “fake news” about him, and all three have filed suit, saying the ban is a “direct assault” on press freedoms and the First Amendment.

“We hope the president reconsiders his decision, as this would set a bad precedent for all media, including conservative outlets like Newsmax,” Ruddy told The New York Times.

He added that no one suggested the conservative Newsmax to be banned when they were asking tough questions of Democrats like former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

“Newsmax asked tough questions during both the Obama and Biden administrations, and at no point did anyone suggest that we might be banned,” he said.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Ruddy also slammed the decision by Trump and pushed for him to reverse it.

He said:

I would agree with the press, even though I think the president’s right that they’re not necessarily honest and fair. Well, the Constitution doesn’t protect fair and honest reporting. It only protects the free press. And being a press owner or certainly only a public company or being the head of a public company here that’s a media company… I’ve urged the president to reconsider his position. I hope he will. I think it would be a smart decision going forward. As much as he may be justified by what he feels is very biased reporting, I think we should always err on the side of Constitutional freedoms.

Fox News and other outlets have joined in on protesting shared press pools over the media ban.

White House Correspondents’ Association President Jacqui Heinrich, a senior Fox News White House correspondent, also previously urged Trump to reverse his decision.

“The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future. The American people, through a free and independent press, must be able to scrutinize those elected to power, regardless of whether government officials view it favorably,” she said.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!