Trump Shockingly Asks Media to Leave as Governors Breakfast Meeting Kicks Off: ‘That Way We Will Talk Very Candidly’
Jennifer Bowers Bahney
Fri, February 20, 2026
Mediaite
President Donald Trump made a shocking move Friday by kicking the media out of the bipartisan annual White House meeting with governors from across the country.
CNN played video of Trump saying, “We’re going to be asking the press to leave. That way, we’re going to talk very candidly and take questions…Thank you very much for being here. It’s a great honor. And the media — thank you, you can leave now.”
Some members of the press tried to ask questions, but were ushered out by the White House communications team who repeated, “Thank you, press,” which is their signal that media access has ended.
Shortly afterward, the White House “Rapid Response” social media account posted, “@POTUS invited the Fake News into his meeting with Governors — then immediately kicked them out: ‘You can leave now.’ Didn’t stop them from asking stupid questions though.”
The Situation Room’s Wolf Blitzer remarked, “I spent seven years as a White House correspondent for CNN. I don’t remember a time when the White House officially opens up a meeting like this to the news media, invites reporters, camera crews to come in, but then the president of the United States goes ahead and kicks them all out. How extraordinary is this?” he asked correspondent Kevin Liptak.
“You know, President Trump is quite unpredictable,” Liptak began. “And certainly I think there is a sense that perhaps he wanted to keep whatever disagreements he has with the governors who are there up on the state floor of the White House behind closed doors.”
Liptak recounted last year’s event when Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) got into a “heated back-and-forth” with Trump about his executive order to withhold federal funding over transgender participation in sports.
Mills famously told Trump “that she would see him in court.”
“So, if one of those interactions occurs today, I think the White House and President Trump sort of gambled that it was better to keep those private,” Liptak said. “And even heading into this meeting, it was pretty evident that there was going to be contention.”
At issue was Trump initially declining to invite Govs. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Wes Moore (D-MD) over political differences.
In new reporting Friday, the two Democratic governors “said they will attend the National Governors Association (NGA) meeting with President Trump on Friday after the White House reversed course, once again, and extended an invitation to the pair, a source familiar told The Hill.”
President Donald Trump made a shocking move Friday by kicking the media out of the bipartisan annual White House meeting with governors from across the country.
CNN played video of Trump saying, “We’re going to be asking the press to leave. That way, we’re going to talk very candidly and take questions…Thank you very much for being here. It’s a great honor. And the media — thank you, you can leave now.”
Some members of the press tried to ask questions, but were ushered out by the White House communications team who repeated, “Thank you, press,” which is their signal that media access has ended.
Shortly afterward, the White House “Rapid Response” social media account posted, “@POTUS invited the Fake News into his meeting with Governors — then immediately kicked them out: ‘You can leave now.’ Didn’t stop them from asking stupid questions though.”
The Situation Room’s Wolf Blitzer remarked, “I spent seven years as a White House correspondent for CNN. I don’t remember a time when the White House officially opens up a meeting like this to the news media, invites reporters, camera crews to come in, but then the president of the United States goes ahead and kicks them all out. How extraordinary is this?” he asked correspondent Kevin Liptak.
“You know, President Trump is quite unpredictable,” Liptak began. “And certainly I think there is a sense that perhaps he wanted to keep whatever disagreements he has with the governors who are there up on the state floor of the White House behind closed doors.”
Liptak recounted last year’s event when Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) got into a “heated back-and-forth” with Trump about his executive order to withhold federal funding over transgender participation in sports.
Mills famously told Trump “that she would see him in court.”
“So, if one of those interactions occurs today, I think the White House and President Trump sort of gambled that it was better to keep those private,” Liptak said. “And even heading into this meeting, it was pretty evident that there was going to be contention.”
At issue was Trump initially declining to invite Govs. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Wes Moore (D-MD) over political differences.
In new reporting Friday, the two Democratic governors “said they will attend the National Governors Association (NGA) meeting with President Trump on Friday after the White House reversed course, once again, and extended an invitation to the pair, a source familiar told The Hill.”
No comments:
Post a Comment