U.S. President Donald Trump has implemented a ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico at the White House, seizing reporters’ credentials amid what he deems unfair coverage. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, however, is taking a different approach on press freedom.
The office of the first lady formally approved CNN’s and Politico’s press credentials for a Tuesday event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly about expanding her “Fostering the Future Together” coalition, an effort aimed at promoting children’s well-being with education and technology.
CNN’s credential for Tuesday’s event was approved on Sunday evening, one day after the president’s ban went into effect. The three national news outlets filed a critical First Amendment lawsuit to restore their access, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
The first lady is meticulously involved in the details around her events and public appearances — from the substance of her remarks to the diplomatic message she sends with her outfits to the minutiae in press releases. She is aware of the ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, according to a source familiar with the matter, and her office had discretion over whether reporters from those outlets would be credentialed for Tuesday’s event.
The decision to approve those credentials underscores how Trump operates — independently of her husband, doing things her way. She spends her time largely away from the White House, keeps a small inner circle and has pursued a portfolio of her own initiatives. She speaks out on a handful of issues she feels strongly about — including the stark, unexpected decision to distance herself from Jeffrey Epstein earlier this year.
Press freedom wasn’t the only subtle break from her husband on Tuesday. The first lady also struck a more cautious tone on the advancement of AI — and the technology’s potential dangers if not used carefully.
“We stand together at the threshold of a technological revolution,” she told a ballroom luncheon of first spouses and diplomats, hours after her husband downplayed calls for global AI regulations in his speech nearby at the UN.
Unveiling new partnerships with tech companies including Amazon, Intel and Google, Melania Trump implored her counterparts to put children at the forefront of AI development. “Artificial intelligence is transforming entire business sectors and expanding how humanity accesses the largest corpus of information ever available to humanity,” she said.
“But access alone is not empowerment. We must give our children the tools — and teach them how to use those tools wisely,” she added.
Trump’s initiative, launched during last year’s gathering of world leaders, now has 57 participating countries, with plans for coalition events at the upcoming G20 summit in Miami and the ASEAN conference in the Philippines, along with regional meetings in Europe and the Caribbean.
Her work on responsible AI use and especially foster youth underscores how she’s charted her own course as first lady — often skipping more ceremonial appearances typical of the role but engaging more intensely in her own policy operation than during her husband’s first term, when her multipronged “Be Best” initiative failed to gain significant traction or results.
Still, the first lady remains one of her husband’s most trusted advisers, and her public appearances have been rare.
Trump has largely eschewed on-camera interviews, with the exception of a handful of appearances on Fox News, and she’s fielded questions from reporters on rare occasions — like during the premiere of her eponymous documentary and an event with freed Israeli hostages.
There were no opportunities for reporters to engage with her on Tuesday, though Trump is expected to appear on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday.
