đź’© POO NEWS | THE PRESIDENT, THE PRESS & THE MISSING MICROPHONES
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WASHINGTON — September 22, 2026: The latest fight between President Donald Trump and the American press has moved from angry statements and revoked credentials into federal court. It has also produced one unusually literal communications problem: at a White House event Monday, people could see the president speaking, but the sound of a helicopter made it nearly impossible to hear what he was saying.
Trump announced Friday that CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO would be barred from the White House, accusing the organizations of repeatedly publishing “fake news.” Reporters from the three outlets were subsequently denied entry, and the organizations filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the administration violated their First Amendment and due-process rights. The White House maintains that it has authority over access to restricted presidential spaces and has defended the decision.
The dispute then landed somewhere between constitutional law and a comedy sketch.
CNN was scheduled to provide television pool coverage for Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. After CNN was excluded, CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox declined to replace it, suspending the traditional television pool. These networks normally provide the cameras, microphones and transmission equipment used to distribute presidential video and audio far beyond the handful of journalists physically standing near the president.
Then came Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new White House helipad.
Trump stood on the South Lawn, surrounded by construction workers, and began speaking with a helicopter nearby. The White House had video.
What it did not have were the television pool microphones normally positioned to capture the president.
The result was remarkable: the President of the United States was visibly giving remarks, but viewers could barely hear him over the helicopter. CBS News reported that without the television pool microphones, Trump’s remarks could not be heard over the aircraft noise.
For a news organization called Verbal Poo, we could spend several paragraphs trying to manufacture a joke here, but the news has generously written this one for us.
A fight over media access resulted in the president standing in front of cameras while much of the audience couldn't hear what the hell he was saying.
That does, however, illustrate something important about the White House press pool. Reporters do more than shout questions at presidents. News organizations pay for and maintain much of the equipment that captures and distributes presidential appearances. Pool journalists also document movements, meetings, comments and events that cannot accommodate the entire White House press corps.
There is another wrinkle. Although CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO were barred from the White House, their journalists were able to cover Trump at the United Nations on Tuesday using U.N.-issued credentials. Trump criticized CNN's presence while speaking to reporters in New York, while the legal fight over their White House access continued in Washington.
The case now heads to another important stop. A federal judge is scheduled to hear the organizations’ request for temporary relief on Wednesday, September 23. Trump said Tuesday that he would “probably” allow the organizations back into the White House if the court rules against his administration.
And this is where today’s Poo News becomes more than another Trump-versus-the-media story.
Presidents have legitimate security concerns. The White House has limited space. Journalists have rules they are expected to follow. News organizations can also publish reporting that politicians believe is biased, inaccurate or unfair.
The legal dispute is about something more specific: how far a president can go in restricting established press access because of objections to an outlet's reporting. The news organizations describe the bans as unconstitutional retaliation. The administration disputes that position. A federal court will now begin sorting through those arguments.
Meanwhile, the rest of us have learned one additional lesson from this entire pile:
You can fight with the television networks.
You can kick reporters out of the White House.
But if you're planning to give a speech next to a running helicopter, you may want to keep somebody around who knows where the microphones are.
💩 That’s today’s Poo News.
Read it. Question it. Debate it. Bring receipts and throw your own crap into the conversation at www.VerbalPoo.com.
#VerbalPoo #PooNews #Trump #WhiteHouse #PressFreedom #Journalism #FirstAmendment #Media #CurrentEvents
Trump announced Friday that CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO would be barred from the White House, accusing the organizations of repeatedly publishing “fake news.” Reporters from the three outlets were subsequently denied entry, and the organizations filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the administration violated their First Amendment and due-process rights. The White House maintains that it has authority over access to restricted presidential spaces and has defended the decision.
The dispute then landed somewhere between constitutional law and a comedy sketch.
CNN was scheduled to provide television pool coverage for Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. After CNN was excluded, CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox declined to replace it, suspending the traditional television pool. These networks normally provide the cameras, microphones and transmission equipment used to distribute presidential video and audio far beyond the handful of journalists physically standing near the president.
Then came Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new White House helipad.
Trump stood on the South Lawn, surrounded by construction workers, and began speaking with a helicopter nearby. The White House had video.
What it did not have were the television pool microphones normally positioned to capture the president.
The result was remarkable: the President of the United States was visibly giving remarks, but viewers could barely hear him over the helicopter. CBS News reported that without the television pool microphones, Trump’s remarks could not be heard over the aircraft noise.
For a news organization called Verbal Poo, we could spend several paragraphs trying to manufacture a joke here, but the news has generously written this one for us.
A fight over media access resulted in the president standing in front of cameras while much of the audience couldn't hear what the hell he was saying.
That does, however, illustrate something important about the White House press pool. Reporters do more than shout questions at presidents. News organizations pay for and maintain much of the equipment that captures and distributes presidential appearances. Pool journalists also document movements, meetings, comments and events that cannot accommodate the entire White House press corps.
There is another wrinkle. Although CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO were barred from the White House, their journalists were able to cover Trump at the United Nations on Tuesday using U.N.-issued credentials. Trump criticized CNN's presence while speaking to reporters in New York, while the legal fight over their White House access continued in Washington.
The case now heads to another important stop. A federal judge is scheduled to hear the organizations’ request for temporary relief on Wednesday, September 23. Trump said Tuesday that he would “probably” allow the organizations back into the White House if the court rules against his administration.
And this is where today’s Poo News becomes more than another Trump-versus-the-media story.
Presidents have legitimate security concerns. The White House has limited space. Journalists have rules they are expected to follow. News organizations can also publish reporting that politicians believe is biased, inaccurate or unfair.
The legal dispute is about something more specific: how far a president can go in restricting established press access because of objections to an outlet's reporting. The news organizations describe the bans as unconstitutional retaliation. The administration disputes that position. A federal court will now begin sorting through those arguments.
Meanwhile, the rest of us have learned one additional lesson from this entire pile:
You can fight with the television networks.
You can kick reporters out of the White House.
But if you're planning to give a speech next to a running helicopter, you may want to keep somebody around who knows where the microphones are.
💩 That’s today’s Poo News.
Read it. Question it. Debate it. Bring receipts and throw your own crap into the conversation at www.VerbalPoo.com.
#VerbalPoo #PooNews #Trump #WhiteHouse #PressFreedom #Journalism #FirstAmendment #Media #CurrentEvents
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