CNN commentator Scott Jennings knocked President Donald Trump on Thursday after the network was turned away from covering a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The dinner, where Trump invited Xi and other attendees to tour the ongoing construction of the White House ballroom, came less than a day after a federal judge ordered the administration to restore the press credentials of CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Trump had revoked their White House access last week.
Just before the dinner, CNN and MS NOW opened their 7 p.m. programs with news that, despite the court order, the White House had barred them from covering guest arrivals.
“The breaking news – denied,” Erin Burnett reported on “OutFront,” telling viewers CNN had been blocked moments earlier from covering arrivals at the dinner after a judge struck down Trump’s ban keeping CNN, Politico and MS NOW off White House grounds.
Jennings, who is reportedly in the running to become the next White House press secretary, appeared on “AC360” the following hour.
“Scott, was this smart of the president?” Anderson Cooper asked. “I mean, this was a big event he wanted covered and he’s not getting the coverage.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Jennings replied, calling the court outcome predictable and saying he was glad to see Kaitlan Collins back on White House grounds.
He argued that Trump’s supporters would want the president to receive full coverage of an event like this, rather than being “muted.”
“You’d want him to be fully available and projecting to the American people. And you’re not getting that right now. So that’s a miss,” Jennings said.
The CNN commentator also urged the president to comply with the court’s ruling.
“I think legal judgments ought to be followed,” Jennings said. “So, when judges make decisions, we ought to follow those immediately.”
Speaking as a communications strategist, Jennings said he would not want to put a client or principal in a position where they were missing out on the coverage they wanted, or that the American people deserve when it comes to a government official.
The clash traces back to last Friday, when Trump announced he had banned the three outlets from covering the White House. The organizations sued and won in the early hours of Thursday morning.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order, a type of order handed down before a court reviews a case more fully.
Even after the ruling, the White House initially kept the three outlets from entering the White House before ultimately backing down and restoring their access.
The White House defended barring the outlets from the state dinner in a social media post.
“This is a pre-credentialed event. Contrary to what the Fake News wants you to believe, they don’t just get to have free rein into every part of the White House, every event, and every press call,” the post said.
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