Donald Trump banned NBC reporter Vaughn Hillyard from traveling with the campaign Sunday after Hillyard pressed Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is widely consider a top potential vice presidential pick for Trump, about E. Jean Carroll’s allegations of sexual abuse and defamation by the former president.
The news was shared by Puck’s Dylan Byers, who explained that Hillyard was set to be the pool reporter covering Trump’s campaign on Sunday for multiple media outlets. But he was banned in what Byers reported was “retribution” for the interview where he asked Stefanik about Carroll’s accusations against Trump.
In Hillyard’s report as a representative of the press pool, he wrote, “Your NBC News pooler has been informed that the pool will no longer travel with and take part in the former president’s [off-the-record] stops today before his Rochester rally,” according to Byers.
“Your pooler was told that if he was the designated pooler by NBC News that the pool would be cut off for the day,” Hillyard added. “After affirming to the campaign that your pooler would attend the events, NBC News was informed at about 2:20pm ET that the pool would not be allowed to travel with Trump today.”
The exchange between Hillyard and Stefanik on Saturday was shared by CNN’s Kate Sullivan on X (formerly Twitter). Hillyard asked Stefanik, “Do you believe E. Jean Carroll?” She replied, “They are all witch hunts against Donald Trump, and the reason is he is pulling ahead of Joe Biden.”
Stefanik added, “The media is so biased. This is just another example of the media being out of touch,” to which Hillyard replied, “It’s not me. It’s not the media, it’s a jury that found–“
“The media is so out of touch with the American people,” Stefanik said in response. “Like 2016, you are going to see the American people speak out loudly and clearly with their vote.”
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