Donald Trump’s campaign bans Bloomberg News reporters from covering events over ‘preferential’ plan

The Trump campaign said Monday it would bar reporters from Bloomberg News from covering the president’s campaign rallies after the global news outlet announced a new reporting policy for a 2020 race that includes its billionaire owner. 

The Trump camp blasted out word of the ban in a statement from campaign manager Brad Parscale while the president was en route to Britain for a NATO meeting.   

‘The decision by Bloomberg News to formalize preferential reporting policies is troubling and wrong,’ wrote Parscale. 

The statement followed the outlet’s announcement of a policy that it would continue its practice of not investigating its owner, who previously served three terms as governor of New York City and has been in the public spotlight for years. It also said it won’t probe Bloomberg’s Democratic rivals – but would continue to investigate the Trump administration. 

‘Bloomberg News has declared that they won’t investigate their boss or his Democrat competitors, many of whom are current holders of high office, but will continue critical reporting on President Trump,’ said Parscale.

‘As President Trump’s campaign, we are accustomed to unfair reporting practices, but most news organizations don’t announce their biases so publicly. Presented with this new policy from Bloomberg News, our campaign was forced to determine how to proceed,’ he continued. 

Brad Parscale, campaign manager for U.S. President Donald Trump, announced the ban in a statement

The ban will apply to all Trump rallies and events, although exceptions may be made on an individual basis whether to engage with ‘individual reporters’

‘Since they have declared their bias openly, the Trump campaign will no longer credential representatives of Bloomberg News for rallies or other campaign events. We will determine whether to engage with individual reporters or answer inquiries from Bloomberg News on a case-by-case basis. This will remain the policy of the Trump campaign until Bloomberg News publicly rescinds its decision.’

Parscale was picking up bans the campaign imposed against media outlets during the 2016 campaign, when Washington Post reporters and other media members faced bans from covering Trump rallies. Many found ways to cover them other ways, by entering as members of the public.  

According to a memo from Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait: ‘We will continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and foundation ) and we will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries. We cannot treat Mike’s democratic competitors differently from him.’

According to the memo, which was obtained by CNBC: ‘For the moment, our P&I team will continue to investigate the Trump administration, as the government of the day.’

Micklethwait immediately fired back with a statement that did not yield to the campaign’s demand. ‘The accusation of bias couldn’t be further from the truth. We have covered Donald Trump fairly & in an unbiased way since he became a candidate..and will continue to do so despite the restrictions imposed by the Trump campaign,’ he said, the New York Times reported. 

Trump ally Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, himself a 2016 presidential candidate, tweeted approvingly about the policy, and compared Bloomberg’s reporters to Democratic opposition researchers. 

‘Q: Should the Trump campaign issue “press” credentials to DNC oppo researchers? If not, how is that any different from Bloomberg’s stated policy?’ Cruz wrote.