The Trump administration has taken a stricter approach to the media than its predecessors, with shake-ups in the press room and Pentagon offices, a lawsuit from The Associated Press over terminology regarding the Gulf, and a new accusation that MSNBC is a “threat to our democracy.”

Why It Matters

Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump implemented media changes affecting the press pool and access. He has frequently used the phrase “fake news” to dismiss unfavorable coverage and has been outspoken in his support for and criticism of specific outlets.

The media shake-up celebrated by Trump has raised concerns among some in the industry who fear that access to reporting the truth will become increasingly difficult as credentials are revoked and outlets too favorable of the president may not provide full coverage.

Media outlets promote a healthy democracy by providing the public with fact-checked information, particularly on those in power, and offering essential context. Last week, many outlets countered Trump’s claims by clarifying that his assertion that Ukraine started the war with Russia is false.

Trump and one of his top advisers, Elon Musk, own social media platforms Truth Social and X, formerly Twitter, respectively, both of which play a major role in media and information circulation.

What To Know

Trump slammed MSNBC in a Truth Social post on Saturday, calling it “MSDNC,” a play on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) thereby accusing it of favoring the Democratic Party.

He continued that the outlet “IS A THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY. SUCH LYING AND MISREPRESENTATION. BAD PEOPLE AT THE TOP!”

Newsweek has reached out to MSNBC’s press team for comment via email on Saturday.

Shortly after taking office, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced a “new media” pass to welcome bloggers, podcasters, social media influencers and others into the press room, in a move to diversify the press pool.

In another media shake-up, four major national outlets—NBC, The New York Times, Politico, and National Public Radio (NPR)—were ordered to leavetheir dedicated workspaces in the Pentagon on February 14, as part of the “new annual media rotation program.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is a former Fox News co-host, an outlet Trump shares close ties with. Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), has a new show on Fox News set to premiere Saturday night.

Following Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, the AP said it would not abide by the change since the body of water “has carried that name for more than 400 years.”

Due to this, the White House said the major news outlet would have limited access to cover Trump, barring the wire from accessing the Oval Office and Air Force One.

On Friday, the AP filed a lawsuit against White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, Leavitt, and White House chief of staff Susan Wiles suggesting that the White House unlawfully restricted journalists from press events.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee.

What People Are Saying

Associated Press spokesperson Lauren Easton previously told Newsweek: “Freedom of speech is a pillar of American democracy and a core value of the American people. The White House has said it supports these principles. The actions taken to restrict AP’s coverage of presidential events because of how we refer to a geographic location chip away at this important right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution for all Americans.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier this month when asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about the decision to bar the AP from events in part: “First of all let me just set the record straight. It is a privilege to cover this White House, it’s a privilege to be the White House press secretary. Nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the President of the United States questions. Thats an invitation that is given.”

She added: “There are hundreds of outlets on this campus, many of you in this room who don’t have the privilege of being part of that pool every single day and getting to ask the president questions.” Later continuing, “We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office.”

President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday about the AP: “We’re going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it’s the Gulf of America. We’re very proud of this country, and we want it to be the Gulf of America.”

What Happens Next?

The AP’s legal filing demands a jury trial and requests an emergency hearing.