The White House has removed The Wall Street Journal from the list of media permitted to travel with President Donald Trump on his upcoming trip to Scotland.
Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that the change was due to “the false and defamatory behaviour of The Wall Street Journal.”
Originally, the newspaper was among 13 media outlets allowed to board the presidential aircraft, Air Force One. Previously, the US government also excluded the Associated Press news agency from the “press pool” because it continues to use the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America,” as Trump had rebaptised it earlier this year.
Last week, Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch for defamation. The President was offended by an article alleging he signed a card described as lewd for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.
The US Department of Justice recently requested a federal judge to release jury testimonies from the Epstein trial. In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi had already made documents from Epstein’s case public, including contact lists and flight logs of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump supporters have long called for the release of a so-called secret list of clients to whom Epstein allegedly trafficked under-aged girls. Their calls grew in intensity after the Justice Department denied the existence of such a list, despite promises by Bondi that had raised the expectations of conservative influencers and conspiracy theorists.
Trump will be in Scotland from 25 to 29 July and is expected to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit.
