Barack Obama
Role at the time: Former President of the United States, in conversation with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
Condemned
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.”