US (Washington Insider) - The Trump White House deleted its holiday-themed “naughty list” video, which targeted CNN, Axios, and The New York Post, after critics, including Brian Allen, called it authoritarian.
As indy100 News reported, the Trump White House recently escalated its criticism of the press. It released a holiday-themed video that has since been removed. The video featured a “naughty list” of journalists and media outlets the administration singled out.
Set to Michael Bublé’s version of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” the video showed Santa rolling out a scroll with names of outlets including CNN, Axios, and The New York Post. The video echoes the White House’s earlier “Offender Hall of Shame” on its website, which also called out critical journalists.
"Better luck next Christmas,"
reads the text at the end of the video, as Santa's sleigh moves across the screen.
Political commentator Brian Allen tweeted about the timing of the video.
"This isn't a joke. It's a blacklist"
What is behind Trump’s “Naughty List” video targeting the media?
Political commentator Brian Allen noted it was released less than a week after Trump was asked on the red carpet at the Kennedy Centre who would be on his “naughty list” for 2025. The combination of the video and Trump’s earlier remarks drew attention and sparked debate online.
Trump replied:
"Oh, that's a long list. I'd better not tell you or start a problem out there in the world. "No, we have a pretty big naughty list."
President Donald Trump has a long history of conflict with the mainstream media. He has repeatedly accused major news outlets of spreading false or misleading information. During his time in office, he popularised the term “fake news” to describe reports he disagreed with.
Trump often clashed with reporters during press conferences and interviews. These conflicts became a central feature of his public image. They were part of his effort to influence how the public viewed the media and to rally his supporters.