Welp. Here we go again.

That’s what I said following the report that President Donald Trump was stripping media access from The Wall Street Journal. This comes after The Journal released a report that alleged Trump sent a “bawdy” birthday party letter to disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The contents of the letter reveal allegations that Trump drew what resembled a naked woman in a birthday message sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday. The message also reportedly contained a signature from Trump that was meant to resemble pubic hair.

If you aren’t creeped out by reading those two sentences alone, then you’ll surely be shaking by the time you hear this next part.

The letter, according to The Journal, concluded with the words “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

If true… ew.

And that caveat “if true” is an important one here. The actual contents of the letter have not been publicly released as of this writing. This has brought into question the authenticity of the letter and contents of the article. That, of course, is a fair assumption to have.

I do, however, find it extremely unlikely that The Journal would publish any sort of allegation this strong without merit. After all, this isn’t MSNBC or Fox News we’re talking about here. We’re talking about a middle-lined, fact-based paper that has a vetting process most probably couldn’t comprehend.

But it appears that the question “Is this real?” will be answered in due time as Trump has officially filed a lawsuit against The Journal, its owner Rupert Murdoch and the two reporters who wrote the story. The suit seeks $10 billion in damages for defamation and libel. 

Yep, that’s right. Ten billion dollars.

All of this seems like one big diversion after another for the president. Ever since it was announced that the investigation into the Epstein files have concluded, Trump has seemingly come unglued due to the amount of backlash he and his administration have received for it.

Once thought of as a strong campaign promise for MAGA supporters, the Epstein files have quickly turned into one of the worst coverups in modern government history. It’s gotten to the point where even strong MAGA allies like Marjorie Taylor Greene are making sense. Crazy, right?

Trump’s desperation to hush the noise around the Epstein files has gotten so high that he is now doing anything he can to change the conversation. 

He’s repeatedly gone on Truth Social to exclaim how the Epstein files are a Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton-led “hoax.” That tactic didn’t work, as even the most MAGA of MAGA supporters pushed back on this one.

Next was finding any controversial talking point that he could exploit. It was first the release of 230,000 files pertaining to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Then, files were released pertaining to Clinton’s use of a private email server. 

Both were diversions that, again, didn’t work. But don’t worry… Trump had another trick up his sleeve.

He then suggested that the Washington Commanders should revert back to the Washington Redskins. In the process, he threatened to restrict the impending stadium deal for D.C.’s football team.

Cause, yeah… priorities.

All in all, this administration is slowly becoming more and more of an authoritarian regime by the day. Now, it’s ultimately resulted in stripping press privileges from any outlet that writes anything he doesn’t like…so much for freedom of the press.  

It’s almost like the White House just simply hasn’t learned from its past mistakes. In February, Trump blocked the Associated Press from covering the White House over the outlet’s refusal to adjust its style to “Gulf of America” over “Gulf of Mexico.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt infamously said during a press scrum that they’d “see the AP in court,” while then promptly posting AP-captured images to her Instagram. 

Well, they did see her in court, and they won. Decisively. I would expect The Journal to inevitably do the same, and win just like the AP did a few months back.

But ultimately, I don’t think any of this is about accessibility or money. I believe all of this is Trump’s way of trying to control the mainstream media, by any means necessary.

I am of the belief that Trump’s biggest opponent is not Epstein, Joe Biden, or any of the “woke leftist mobs.” I believe his biggest, yet unbeatable opponent is the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Just look at the last calendar year or so when it comes to Trump suing the media. ABC decided to settle with Trump for $16 million due to comments made by George Stephanopoulos. CBS parent company Paramount also agreed to settle for that same figure in a voter interference lawsuit.

Current Late Show host Stephen Colbert pushed back on the company’s agreement to settle with Trump during one of his shows last Monday. Two days later, Paramount announced not only the cancellation of Colbert’s show, but the cancellation of the Late Show franchise after over 30 years of existence.

Paramount cites “financial issues” as the reason for cancellation, despite the Late Show generating the highest ratings out of any late-night television show. But that didn’t stop Trump from celebrating on Truth Social.

Coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

The problem with all of this is, if Trump doesn’t like any reporting for whatever reason, he’ll sue or find some sort of way to get you fired. That’s just what it’s become at this stage. Obama – whether you love or hate him – made an excellent point about this subject a few months ago.

“Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials from The White House press corps. You’re laughing, but know that this is what’s happening. It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that for me, or a whole bunch of my predecessors. I say this not on a partisan basis. This has to do with something more precious, which is ‘Who are we as a country and what values do we stand for?’”

So what values is Trump standing on? To me, it appears he’s trying to control the narrative. He wants all the control and the power here. He and no one else.

It’s a direct attack on the freedom of the press in this country. It’s a direct attack on free speech in this country. It’s a direct attack on the First Amendment. 

That doesn’t sound very patriotic to me.

Evan Newton is the managing editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at enewton@covnews.com