Sarah Huckabee Sanders: Hard To Argue Against A Free Press When You're Literally In The Oval Office With The President
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/09/19/sarah_huckabee_sanders_hard_to_argue_against_a_free_press_when_youre_literally_in_the_oval_office_with_the_president.html

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), who served as Trump's White House press secretary during his first term, was in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump sparred with reporters over his decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/09/18/trump_defends_wh_ban_of_cnn_msnow_politico_what_i_do_ask_is_a_semblance_of_truth.html).

REPORTER: Mr. President, to put a finer point on it, how is this action legal and constitutional considering the First Amendment? And Gov. [Sarah Huckabee] Sanders, you were White House press secretary. Do you agree with this plan to ban news outlets?

TRUMP: I'll just answer again. I'll say it the same way. I don't think somebody should be allowed to come in and write fake stories. They're fake news. And that's why they have no credibility. That's why. So I had 96% negative coverage during the election, and I won.

Because they have no credibility. I got 96. I guess NBC was 93% negative. So 93% with all of the victories I've had, everything's been a victory. It's all been a victory. And I won the election like nobody's ever seen anything like it.

They never write a good story. They won't write a story about I just reduced drug prices by 40, 50, 60, 70, 80%. I will get a good story out of these people. From some of them, I will. I'll get one from him. I'll get one from him. I'll get a few of them. But it's sick. There's something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories. Now, if they want to write them, that's fine. But I don't have to let them into my into the people's house. Yeah, please.

Governor, go ahead.

GOV. SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS (R-AR): Sure. I think it's hard for you to argue against a free press when you're literally standing in the Oval Office asking questions of the President of the United States. He's been more accessible and easier to talk to than any president in history.

Think about the previous administration where he could barely get through a press conference and yet you have the opportunity to stand here in the Oval Office and ask questions to the leader of the free world. That's pretty free. And you're standing here asking those questions.

I think the President is right to support the First Amendment, but he's also right to ask that you be honest and fair. That's not an unreasonable thing.