Trump Excludes CNN From Annual State of the Union Lunch

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Each year, presidents invite broadcast and cable news anchors for an off-the-record lunch the afternoon of the State of the Union address.

This year, President Donald Trump excluded CNN from the lunch, the network reported Monday night. According to Brian Stelter, while Trump has maintained the traditional lunch and will host one this year — despite his campaign of performative animosity towards the media — the White House has not invited any anchors from CNN.

“This is the first time in recent memory that a president has singled out one network and opted not invite any anchors from there,” Stelter wrote.

Last year, per Stelter, Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer attended.

Of the media outlets that Trump targets, CNN has been the most consistently attacked. Between his bitter spats with White House correspondent Jim Acosta to his persistent Twitter diatribes against hosts like Don Lemon, the president and his supporters rage at CNN more than any other media outlet. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s ludicrous fixation on NPR is a pleasant respite.