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Public disputes concerning news and entertainment media, ownership, mergers, editorial decisions, reporting, and media institutions.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
3 statements on this page. Dates: September 18, 2026 to October 24, 2026
3 matching statements. Dates: September 18, 2026 to October 24, 2026
3 published statements. Dates: September 18, 2026 to October 24, 2026
3 published statements. Dates: September 18, 2026 to October 24, 2026
3 statements on this page. Dates: September 18, 2026 to October 24, 2026
Role at the time: Former U.S. president
Statement summary
At an October 24 rally with Acton in Cleveland, Obama says Ramaswamy will do anything to get attention and that in recent days he has shown there is no line he will not cross.
“And in recent days, we've seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to.”
ABC News report by Juhi Doshi, republished by ABC30. It includes her October 24 interview with Acton and quotations from Obama at the Cleveland rally.
The reference point is the Ramaswamy campaign's use of Acton's estranged mother in its ad. The quoted sentence speaks of Ramaswamy's conduct in recent days, and CBS News reports that Obama went on in the same passage to say he did not know how standards fell so low that somebody could run an ad like that. Read with that passage, the remark criticizes the ad, so we labeled it Condemned.
Role at the time: Former President of the United States, in conversation with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
Statement summary
At an event at Salem State University, former President Obama said he was not surprised by Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, and called press freedom a foundational, non-partisan issue. He said no substantial group of Republicans had objected to the ban, and that a government excluding critics over their coverage is incompatible with democracy.
“The free press, the idea that the government cannot discriminate against, or pick on, or bully, or exclude somebody because they don’t like the criticism that’s being leveled at them, that is a foundational issue. And so, I am not surprised that the current president wants to ban newscasts that are critical of him, because he’s that guy.”
CNN's report on former President Obama's remarks at a Monday, Sept. 21 event at Salem State University in Massachusetts, in conversation with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Obama said he was not surprised by the ban, called press freedom a foundational, non-partisan issue, and said no substantial group of Republicans had objected to it. He also noted his own administration faced press-access criticism, which the Trump White House had cited to justify its ban.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Relative to Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Obama calls the exclusion of critical outlets incompatible with a free press and democracy. That criticizes the exclusion, so we labeled it Condemned.
Role at the time: Former president of the United States, speaking at Colgate University
Statement summary
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!”
C-SPAN video of former president Barack Obama discussing Trump's exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico during an appearance at Colgate University.
Obama rejects the legitimacy of the exclusion by contrasting it with a hypothetical action by his own administration and calling that action unimaginable.
