• The White House has barred The Wall Street Journal from President Trump’s upcoming Scotland trip, citing defamatory reporting on his alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Citing a recent court decision, officials argue that no outlet is entitled to special access, even as tensions rise between Trump and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — In a move that underscores the growing friction between President Trump and elements of the press, the White House has excluded The Wall Street Journal from participating in the official press pool for the president’s upcoming trip to Scotland.

The decision, announced Monday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, follows the Journal’s publication of a disputed report that alleges President Trump sent a letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday—an allegation the president has denied and subsequently filed a defamation suit over.

“Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board,” Leavitt told The Hill, citing a federal appeals court ruling that affirmed the executive branch’s discretion in granting media access.

White House Defends Access Policy

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The White House emphasized that press access is a privilege, not a constitutional guarantee. “The Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,” Leavitt said.

She added that thirteen diverse outlets had been selected for the Scotland trip, a sign of what the administration called “broad representation.”

A spokesperson for The Wall Street Journal declined to comment.

Tensions With Murdoch Empire

The Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., long viewed as an uneasy ally of Trump’s populist agenda. The lawsuit and access restriction mark a sharp escalation in their fraught relationship.

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Is the White House right to draw lines on access—or does this mark a troubling precedent for press freedom?

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