Trump Achieves Total Transparency By Removing Witnesses
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration had created the most transparent presidency in American history by barring CNN, MSNBC and Politico from White House grounds, prompting the outlets to sue and the five-network television pool to suspend video coverage. The reform allows Americans to observe their government without the distorting influence of journalists, cameras, microphones or independently recorded events. Administration officials said transparency had long been misunderstood to mean public access, when it properly refers to the White House describing itself without interruption.
“For years, the press has distorted everything by showing people exactly what I said and did, sometimes from several angles and with the words written underneath,” Trump said. “Now the American people will get complete transparency directly from me, with no witnesses changing the facts by witnessing them.” The banned outlets argued that the administration had retaliated against them because Trump disliked their coverage. The White House rejected the allegation, explaining that retaliation becomes constitutional oversight when the president enjoys it and calls it access management.
ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News joined CNN in halting pool coverage, leaving several presidential events without the customary shared video feed. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed the blackout as proof that the First Amendment remains fully operational for every news organization willing to report only information personally approved by the people being covered. She noted that excluded reporters remain free to practice journalism from sidewalks, parking garages and other designated transparency zones where they cannot see or hear the president.
A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday but issued no immediate ruling, allowing the administration’s openness initiative to continue temporarily behind closed doors. The White House is expected to replace independent footage with official video featuring approved camera angles, shortened answers and presidential remarks preserved in their purest constitutional form: edited, flattering and protected from follow-up questions. Americans will still be permitted to know everything the administration wants them to know, which officials confirmed is the full legal definition of everything. The presidency is now the most transparent in history because nobody outside the White House can see it.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.