Trump Campaign Blocks Journalists from Election Watch Event
Former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign took a controversial step on Tuesday night by denying access to multiple reporters at its election watch event held at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Tara Palmeri, a senior political correspondent for Puck, was slated to broadcast live from the event as part of Amazon’s election night special featuring Brian Williams. However, she revealed on her podcast that the Trump campaign barred her entry following her reporting on internal concerns regarding early voting statistics in Pennsylvania.
“It appears I have angered Trump’s campaign manager with my reporting, and they opted to revoke my credentials,” Ms. Palmeri stated on her podcast, “Somebody’s Gotta Win.” She emphasized, “I have strived to be honest and fair in my coverage throughout this election cycle.” In a social media post dated October 31, Chris LaCivita, one of Mr. Trump’s campaign managers, referred to Ms. Palmeri as a “gossip columnist” after the publication of her article detailing the campaign’s unease. He subsequently confirmed that her credentials had indeed been denied.
A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not respond promptly to requests for comment regarding the situation.
The Trump team organized a V.I.P. gathering at Mar-a-Lago on the same evening. Additionally, Mr. Trump was anticipated to address a larger audience at the Palm Beach Convention Center. It is noteworthy that some journalists were permitted to attend these campaign events despite the restrictions placed on others.
- The Trump campaign also revoked access for a group of journalists from Politico after the publication of a Monday article that reported a Trump field director’s affiliation with white nationalist views, which he had allegedly expressed online under a pseudonym.
- A spokesperson for Politico declined to comment on the matter.
- Sophia Cai, a national reporter for Axios, was also barred from attending the event, according to a source familiar with the decision.
Aja Whitaker-Moore, the editor in chief of Axios, defended Ms. Cai in a statement, stating that she was “an excellent reporter” who had provided “essential, clinical coverage for Axios.” This incident adds to a broader pattern of Mr. Trump’s ongoing criticism of media coverage, which has escalated into direct threats against journalists during this campaign cycle.
