Sean Spicer Squabbles With Abby Phillip Over Trump Press Ban: ‘Only Reason You Care Now Is Because It’s CNN’

(Photos via: Sean Spicer on YouTube and CNN)

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer accused CNN anchor Abby Phillip of having a double standard when it came to President Donald Trump’s press ban on her outlet, as well as MS NOW and Politico, with Spicer saying she didn’t seem to care too much when hundreds of outlets lost access during Joe Biden’s presidency.

Spicer and Phillip got into it on Saturday during a back-and-forth exchange on X. He posted a clip of Phillip asking New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan earlier in the day if Biden had taken away press passes; Spicer said that’s exactly what happened.

“Yes, Biden stripped the press passes of 440 independent journalists,” Spicer posted. 

He was referring to when the Biden Administration changed its press pass rules in 2023, which led to 442 reporters, to be exact, having their passes expire.

Phillip responded soon after.

“Lol @Seanspicer, Google is free!” she posted, along with a link to an Associated Press “fact check” comparing Trump’s press ban to Biden’s ’23 move.

The AP story said:

CLAIM: The Biden administration revoked the White House press passes of more than 400 journalists.

THE FACTS: This is false. In 2023, the White House revised its policy for obtaining long-term press passes. All journalists holding such passes were required to apply for a renewal under new criteria. This led to a drop in the number of journalists who had one.

Spicer said he wasn’t buying it, though. He responded to Phillip’s response with his own “lol,” before claiming it was a distinction without a difference.

“Name another time when the WH ‘expired’ all the badges and then changed the criteria to ensure independent journalists could not qualify,” Spicer said. “The only reason you care now is because it’s CNN. When it’s someone else your concern for press freedom & the 1st Amendment is harder to find than a Trump supporter on CNN.”

All of this comes after Trump banished CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters from the White House on Sept. 18.

The three outlets banded together and sued Trump soon after, claiming it was unconstitutional on First Amendment and due process grounds;Trump defended the ban, saying the free press is “something which I cherish” — but he viewed the outlets as nothing more than “FAKE NEWS” peddlers. He also claimed it was important for national security reasons.

After attorneys for the president and the outlets faced off in a Wednesday hearing, Trump-appointed District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled against the ban and ordered the White House to restore access immediately.

Despite the ruling, the White House has kept restrictions in place. On Saturday morning, the administration booted CNN off of Air Force One, and replaced it with LindellTV, for Trump’s trip to watch the Texas-Tennessee football game.

Watch above.

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