Barack Obama calls a comparable exclusion of Fox News during his presidency unimaginable
Barack ObamaFormer president of the United States, speaking at Colgate University
Obama said it would have been unimaginable for his administration to exclude Fox News in the way Trump excluded the three outlets.
“I’m trying to think what would have happened if I had said, you know what, Fox News, you’re out of here! It’s unimaginable!”
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Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
C-SPAN video of former president Barack Obama discussing Trump's exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico during an appearance at Colgate University.
Before the quotation
Obama discussed Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico while speaking at Colgate University.
After the quotation
He used Fox News as the comparison for how such a ban would have been viewed during his presidency.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Obama rejects the legitimacy of the exclusion by contrasting it with a hypothetical action by his own administration and calling that action unimaginable.
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- Donald Trump
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The Dispute Index. "Barack Obama calls a comparable exclusion of Fox News during his presidency unimaginable". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1310-obama-said-it-would-have-been-unimaginable-for