The White House announced on Monday its decision to exclude Wall Street Journal reporters from the presidential press pool for US President Donald Trump‘s upcoming Scotland visit, continuing its criticism of the publication’s coverage regarding the president’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, reported the New York Times.The Journal’s Thursday publication alleged that Trump had dispatched a provocative birthday message to Epstein in 2003, containing an illustration of an unclothed woman and concluded with Trump’s message: “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”Following Trump’s assertions that both the illustration and correspondence were fraudulent, he initiated legal proceedings against multiple parties, including Dow Jones, News Corp, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson, the Murdoch family, and two Journal staff members.Also read: Who is Rupert Murdoch? Media giant sued by Trump over WSJ’s Epstein letter; MAGA chief calls paper ‘pile of garbage’ after rowKaroline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, issued a statement confirming that while thirteen varied media organisations would cover the President’s Scottish visit, the Wall Street Journal was excluded due to their “fake and defamatory conduct.”The Journal’s representative offered no response. Previously, Dow Jones had issued a statement supporting their journalism: “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”The White House Correspondents’ Association criticised this exclusion, stating on Monday that “This attempt by the White House to punish a media outlet whose coverage it does not like is deeply troubling, and it defies the First Amendment.”The press pool, comprising journalists from various outlets who accompany the president, serves as representatives for the broader White House press corps. The Trump administration has assumed control over press pool membership selection, previously handled by the Correspondents’ Association.Previously, The Associated Press was barred from the press pool for not complying with Trump’s directive regarding the Gulf of Mexico’s name change.
