CNBC’s “Squawk Box” co-host Joe Kernen pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday over President Donald Trump’s decision to issue a White House press ban against three major news outlets.

Trump announced his decision to ban CNN, Politico and MS NOW on Friday in a Truth Social post, saying he was fed up with them constantly reporting “FAKE NEWS!” The president threatened that other news organizations may also be banned.

In response, the three news outlets challenged Trump by filing a lawsuit on Monday to restore their denied White House access.

Kernen asked Bessent for his take on the ban after declaring that free speech and the ability of U.S. leaders to “answer difficult questions, sometimes even hostile questions” from the media is what sets the United States apart from other countries.

Bessent said in response that he had been busy traveling when Trump announced the ban and wasn’t very versed on the matter, but Kernen further pressed him.

Bessent replied that the “equilibrium is so far out of kilter” for legacy media; Kernen interrupted him, countering that Republican presidents may historically have “had maybe a tougher time with mainstream media,” but have also had news outlets like Fox News favoring them over Democratic presidents.

“I just don’t think this is something that will last in this country. We don’t do this in this country,” Kernen added.

Bessent challenged that Trump “has been the most transparent president in history.”

Noting that he thinks Trump actually enjoys bantering with the press, Kernen then proposed that the Trump administration needs to figure out a way to find harmony amid the mounting dispute with the media.

“We’ll see. Maybe it’s a change in coverage at the White House,” Bessent replied before arguing that some reporters don’t do their job well and ask crazy questions.

Kernen said, “I understand all that, but that’s the way — you can’t control the press, right? The press is going to press. Media is going to media.”

Bessent pointed the finger back at the press again, claiming that “the press cares more about the press than anything else,” and slammed the media who attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April ― where an assassination attempt was made against Trump ― for documenting their experiences in real time amid the security breach and shooting.

“They didn’t come in there to kill the press, they came in to kill the president, but all we heard about was the personal experiences of the press people in the room because somehow they were more important [than Trump],” Bessent continued.

He contended it was the same thing with the media when Trump secretly switched to a different plane in July while leaving a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Trump hid in an elevated catering truck to board a smaller military aircraft while journalists and some White House staff remained unaware on the original Air Force One, which acted as a decoy.

Watch Bessent’s appearance on “Squawk Box” below. Skip to the 15:36 mark to hear his comments.

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.