CNN Underneath Fireplace For Blackballing Widespread Trump Official
CNN is facing criticism from conservatives and members of the Trump administration after repeatedly declining offers to host senior adviser Stephen Miller for on-air interviews—despite the White House making him available for three straight days. The dispute spilled into public view Thursday when Vice President JD Vance blasted the network on X, accusing CNN of refusing to platform key voices from the Trump administration.
“If CNN wants to be a real news network it should feature important voices from our administration,” Vance wrote, responding to a post from White House spokesman Steven Cheung detailing the ongoing standoff.
According to Cheung, the White House offered Miller “any time, any show, any topic.” CNN declined each request. Cheung suggested the network was avoiding tough debate, writing that CNN was presumably “scared Stephen will school them and call out Fake News.”
If CNN wants to be a real news network it should feature important voices from our administration. https://t.co/RLghxQqfiX
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 11, 2025
The situation rapidly escalated online, where conservatives accused CNN of editorial bias and deliberate gatekeeping of Trump-aligned voices—especially given Miller’s central role in shaping the administration’s immigration, border, and national-security policies. Many pointed out that networks routinely host critics of the Trump administration but appear far more reluctant to bring on influential officials who can defend or explain White House actions.
Roughly 40 minutes after Vance’s public criticism, CNN issued a response through its communications team, pushing back on the notion that Miller had been barred. According to the statement, “Members of the administration, including Stephen Miller, are welcome to come on our air.” CNN added that decisions about guest bookings depend on daily news priorities, saying the network “looks forward to having Stephen on again in the future as the news warrants.”
Washington Dc, United States, April 21 2025, Homeland security advisor Stephen Miller at the 2025 White House Easter Egg roll
But the explanation did little to calm the backlash. The clash also highlights an ongoing tension between the Trump administration and legacy media outlets the president has long criticized as biased.
Miller revealed that the administration had attempted an all-day media push with CNN, offering him up for interviews across the network’s lineup. According to Miller, the communications team told CNN he was available “on any show from dawn to dusk,” ready to address “any topic with any host at any time” and push back on what he called a wave of “fake news hit pieces.”
“And you know what CNN’s response was? ‘We will not take him, period, for any show on any topic,’” Miller said during his appearance on “Hannity” Wednesday night.
Miller has not appeared on the network since Oct. 6, when he clashed with a CNN host over National Guard deployments and threats made against ICE officers.
White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung backed Miller’s account on X, writing that, “CNN is so afraid they declined to have [Miller] on, probably because they know he’d run circles around any of their hosts. CNN is actively engaging in partisan politics and acting as the propaganda arm of the Democrat party.”