Watch Sarah Sanders' fierce response to a reporter who questioned Trump's commitment to a free press


President Trump began his Wednesday by wondering on Twitter whether the White House should restrict reporters' access to the administration, because "the fake news is working overtime." "Take away credentials?" he mused, with the wispiness of a dandelion blowing in the breeze.
Those ethereal dandelion seeds, unfortunately, blew right into the face of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. During her press briefing Wednesday, Sanders was asked by ABC News' Cecilia Vega about the idea of revoking reporters' credentials.
"Is that a line that as press secretary, you would be willing to cross?" Vega asked. Sanders responded by pointing out that she was, at that very moment, answering questions from the media, and that Trump himself had done so earlier in the day. But Vega pressed further: "How is the suggestion of taking American journalists' press credentials away advocating for a free press in this country? Those two do not go together."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sanders shot back that once again, "the fact that I'm standing here taking questions" should be an indicator of the White House's openness to the media. She added that "at the same time, the press has a responsibility to put out accurate information," and pointedly referenced two recent news stories that she found to be "outrageous." Watch the heated exchange below. Kimberly Alters
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders