Pope Leo XIV affirms need for media to cover public figures when asked about Trump ban

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Leo XIV told reporters they were welcome to cover him Friday, as he responded to the Trump administration’s attempt to bar U.S. media from the White House and affirmed the importance of journalists covering public figures.

Leo spoke to reporters as he travelled to France for a four-day visit. Asked by a CNN reporter about the Trump administration’s attempt to bar CNN and other reporters, Leo said the media was welcome on his plane.

“I am very happy that here, you are all welcome,” he said.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico were back at the White House on Thursday after a judge handed them a reprieve from President Donald Trump’s ban, but the extraordinary showdown between him and outlets whose coverage he dislikes continued.

On a high-profile day when Chinese leader Xi Jinping was visiting Washington and attending a state dinner, no major American network was airing live coverage, and both CNN and MS NOW said their journalists were denied access to Xi’s state dinner arrival.

Leo also apologized for missing an opportunity to speak with the press the last time he travelled internationally, when his Iberia charter broke down in Spain’s Canary Islands and he returned home solo on the king’s private jet, skipping his traditional airborne press conference with reporters.

Leo told reporters travelling with him that he had “nothing to do with” the decision to accept the Spanish king’s offer to use his private jet to return to Rome. More than 70 reporters and the Vatican delegation waited for several hours at the airport in Tenerife for a replacement plane to arrive.

Leo addressed the media’s disappointment when he came to the back of the plane to greet reporters.

“A special mention I would like to make for those of you who were travelling with me when we returned to Rome from Spain,” he said. “I want to apologize personally for an incident, that I had nothing to do with, but which I know left a number of you unhappy with the fact that we couldn’t have the flight back together back to Rome.”

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press