President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump's latest "petulant outburst" appears to follow no real train of logic, and according to a new piece from The i Paper, it is also highly likely to backfire on his own White House staff in a surprising way.
Trump this week took to his Truth Social account to announce an abrupt ban on Politico, MS NOW and CNN from the White House, accusing them of publishing "FICTION and LIES" about him. As the outlets gradually had their access stripped away in the following days, Trump added during an Oval Office event that he wanted to implement a "ban on the free press." The move was widely condemned as an effort to shut down unflattering reporting about him and his administration, as his presidency continues to spiral ahead of the midterms.
Writing about the fiasco in a new piece for The i Paper on Sunday, reporter and columnist James Ball said that there were potential strategic aims behind the ban, given how much Trump's MAGA base can be riled up when he starts a new fight.
"It is typical of Trump, when things aren’t going his way, to lash out," Ball wrote. "Sometimes, this is savvy: Trump’s followers have historically liked it when he gets into a fight with the mainstream media, and at the moment they are far less enthusiastic about Trump than once they were. On paper, this could be an effort to pick a fight that would cheer up the MAGA base."
The idea of there being any real logic behind the move is, however, unlikely, with Ball adding that "the logic is hard to see" when trying to interpret the ban as any sort of "calculated effort." Given Politico's popularity among D.C. insiders, he also argued that moving against them could backfire against Trump's own staff.
"Trump didn’t lay any groundwork for his draconian move, and he didn’t even prepare his team for it," Ball explained. "The outlets he has chosen to ban are an odd selection: Politico, in particular, is widely read by political professionals in DC, including those working for the White House. It is hardly a resistance liberal outlet: its owner has expressed support for Trump on more than one occasion."
He added later: "Trump looks like he has picked this fight impulsively, and he has done it in about the silliest way possible. As president, Trump is restricted by the First Amendment, which guarantees that the federal government will do nothing to abridge the freedom of the press. The President unilaterally banning three media outlets from the White House – which belongs to the U.S. people, not him – is a textbook example of a First Amendment violation."
