Donald Trump is trying to make Huffington Post rue the day editors decided to only cover his “sideshow” presidential campaign in its entertainment section.
CNN reports that HuffPo reporters have been denied press credentials recently, and one trying to get access to an Iowa rally revealed it is indeed a directive from Trump’s national campaign staff.
“I made a few phone calls and discovered this was happening because of Huffington Post’s decision to keep all news about Trump in the entertainment section,” said Samantha-Jo Roth, who has been covering the Republican primary race in Iowa. “I was told I will be denied any cooperation from the campaign and will not be credentialed from now on until something changes.”
The problem is an unusual one for Roth, who has written stories “that have been critical of nearly every single presidential candidate on both sides of the aisle.”
“I have never been treated this way or not allowed media access ever,” she said.
HuffPo announced in July that it would not be recognizing Trump’s campaign as anything more than entertainment.
“Our reason is simple: Trump’s campaign is a sideshow,” Washington bureau chief Ryan Grimm and editorial director Danny Shea wrote. “We won’t take the bait. If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you’ll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and ‘The Bachelorette.’”
Will Trump’s efforts to strike back at the online outlet be effective? According to Roth, probably not. She still attended the rally as a general audience member.
The Des Moines Register, Iowa’s biggest newspaper, has also been dumped by Trump in response to critical coverage of his campaign, and reporter Jason Noble isn’t worried.
“Each time we’ve been denied press credentials, we’ve still been able to access the event and cover it in exactly the same manner as if we had received credentials,” he said. “On Saturday, being denied press credentials essentially meant there was no place to leave my backpack and no table to put my laptop on.”