Monday on ABC’s “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin said President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House is “what dictators do.”
Co-host Sara Haines said, “Well, the press is called the Fourth Estate because it was always meant to check that power. It’s not the extension or a comms department for the White House. It’s not about favorable coverage.”
She added, “It’s about punishing the American people. Because when you block out the type of coverage and decide you’re going to choose, you’re limiting the public’s ability to check power where it is. And by the way, the free press is not the enemy of a secure nation. It’s actually what ensures a nation stays free.”
Hostin said, “I’m so proud that the the pool got together in solidarity, including Fox News…So you’ve got the the five networks that constitute the principal White House TV pools, ABC, this network—I’m very proud of this network—CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox News. And they all got together and said, we will not provide replacement pool coverage, which means we will not cover any White House events. Trump loves being on television. Like, I don’t understand what is happening inside of the White House that he doesn’t want us to know about. That is one of the things—like this is giving dictatorships, because as you said, Ana, this is what happens with dictators. What is he trying to hide from the American people?”
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