Trump Excludes The Wall Street Journal from His Travel Roster Amid Epstein Coverage Controversy

The White House has decided to exclude The Wall Street Journal from traveling with President Donald Trump during his upcoming trip to Scotland. This decision follows the newspaper’s report regarding a 50th birthday message Mr. Trump allegedly sent to his former acquaintance, Jeffrey Epstein, in 2003—a man who has faced serious allegations of sex trafficking.

This development comes on the heels of Mr. Trump filing a lawsuit against the WSJ and its owner, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, for a staggering $10 billion (€8.5 billion) due to claims made in the article, which the President firmly denies. As he once remarked, “Fake news is more than just a phrase—it’s a weapon.”

The Trump administration’s approach to the Epstein situation seems to have created divisions among his supporters, especially within the far-right Make America Great Again (MAGA) faction. Some followers are now demanding the full disclosure of what they term the “Epstein Files.”

This is not the first instance where the Trump administration has opted to restrict a prominent media outlet’s access due to unfavorable coverage. The Associated Press has also faced similar exclusions from key events since February. It seems that the administration is quite serious about its media relations, as Mr. Trump stated, “Due to The Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board Air Force One.”

Mr. Trump is set to leave for Scotland this weekend, where he owns two golf resorts and will hold discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice, led by Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi, announced that it found no evidence suggesting Epstein maintained a “client list” or was blackmailing influential figures prior to his 2019 death.

The WSJ reported that Mr. Trump had sent a rather suggestive birthday letter to Epstein, complete with an illustration featuring a naked woman and references to a shared “secret.” Epstein, who had longstanding ties to high-profile personalities—including Mr. Trump—died under controversial circumstances while in custody, awaiting trial for the sexual exploitation of numerous underage girls at his residences in New York and Florida.

The narrative surrounding Epstein’s death, labeled a suicide, has only fueled various conspiracy theories among Mr. Trump’s far-right supporters, who speculate about an alleged global network of wealthy predators. This has only added to the heightened scrutiny on the administration’s media policies.

Since assuming power once more in January, Mr. Trump has sought to exert greater control over the press covering the White House. Notably, in February, the Oval Office stripped the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) of its longstanding authority to determine which media outlets would have access to specific presidential events. Mr. Trump asserted, “I’m now calling the shots on media access.”

The WHCA President has since called for the Journal to be reinstated in the press pool, stating, “This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling and defies the First Amendment.” Weijia Jiang, the WHCA President, added, “Government retaliation against news outlets based on the content of their reporting should concern all who value free speech and an independent media.”

In navigating this complex media landscape, it remains to be seen how the dynamics will evolve, but one thing is clear: the dialogue surrounding press freedom continues to be as vital as ever.

Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.