Jonathan Karl Challenges Steve Scalise Over Biden Press-Credential Claim

A heated exchange unfolded Sunday on ABC’s This Week when Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl challenged House Majority Leader Steve Scalise over his defense of President Donald Trump’s decision to restrict access for several news organizations.

During the discussion, Scalise argued that Trump has been more open to the press than President Joe Biden and claimed that Biden had removed press credentials from more than 400 agencies.

Karl immediately pushed back.

“That’s actually not true about Biden,” Karl said, explaining that the roughly 400 reporters had credentials but did not reapply. According to Karl, only one reporter was actually denied a credential, while those who did not reapply were still permitted to enter the White House.

The exchange came as Karl questioned Scalise about Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Scalise said he did not know the full background behind the decision but defended Trump’s broader relationship with the press.

Karl then pointed out the immediate consequence of the policy: Trump would no longer be taking questions from those three organizations.

The exchange has since sparked discussion online about presidential press access, media credentials and how politicians characterize the records of previous administrations.

**The key issue is whether claims about press access are being supported by the underlying facts — and whether journalists should challenge those claims in real time.**