JUST IN: White House KICKS OUT Wall Street Journal From Trump Press Pool

In a bold move against what it calls “fake and defamatory reporting,” the Trump White House has officially removed The Wall Street Journal from the press pool for President Trump’s upcoming trip to Scotland.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision in a statement Monday, following the Journal’s publication of a disputed story about a supposed letter from President Trump to Jeffrey Epstein—a report the White House calls entirely fabricated. As a result, The Wall Street Journal will not be among the 13 media outlets granted access to cover the President’s four-day trip to his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen.

“Due to The Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the 13 outlets on board,” Leavitt said.

The Journal had been scheduled to send reporter Tarini Parti as part of the print press pool for the trip’s final two days. However, Leavitt confirmed that the White House removed her from the official travel manifest. Notably, Parti was not among the authors of the controversial Epstein story—but the White House made clear that access is a privilege, not a right.

“As the appeals court confirmed, 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 added. “Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible.”

While The Wall Street Journal has so far declined to comment, Dow Jones, its parent company, previously defended the reporting, stating it has “full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our journalism” and is prepared to fight any legal action. President Trump, meanwhile, has reportedly already filed a lawsuit against the Journal in response to the Epstein article.

At this time, it remains unclear whether this ban is a one-time disciplinary measure or a sign of longer-term consequences for the outlet’s White House access. A White House spokesperson declined to confirm if the Journal will be included in future press rotations.

Either way, this is a major escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on media outlets it sees as peddling misinformation—and a clear signal that fake news won’t be getting a free ride.