WASHINGTON ― The White Home’s favored new reporter, the one who scolded Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not carrying a swimsuit, was the first voice at a “information” outlet that has taken $192,000 from President Donald Trump’s political committees, almost half of which got here whereas he was program director there.
Brian Glenn now works for a pro-Trump streaming platform known as Actual America’s Voice, however from September 2020 to Could 2024, he was essentially the most seen face at Proper Aspect Broadcasting Community. Over these years, the outlet took $92,000 in “broadcast” charges, first from Trump’s Save America committee after which from Trump’s marketing campaign, in accordance with a HuffPost assessment of Federal Election Fee filings.
Glenn acknowledged the funds in a quick interview, describing them as “manufacturing” prices, after which pointed to the row of tv cameras arrange at the back of the White Home briefing room.
“Who pays for them?” he requested, suggesting that the main networks like NBC, CNN and Fox additionally settle for cash from the entities they cowl.
In truth, taking such funds could be thought-about a critical moral breach amongst respected information shops. The tv networks overlaying this and former White Homes, in addition to print and radio shops, all pay their very own bills when overlaying political occasions, as does HuffPost.
Certainly, the Trump administration, together with the White Home, has falsely accused authentic information organizations of corruption as a result of authorities businesses, even these within the first Trump time period, purchased subscriptions from them, together with some to costly, lobbyist-oriented commerce publications.
Karoline Leavitt, the White Home press secretary who had labored on Trump’s marketing campaign, additionally acknowledged the funds. “The Trump marketing campaign paid RSBN for the utilization of their dwell stream,” she stated.
She didn’t handle HuffPost’s query concerning the ethics of an outlet accepting cash from the topic it was overlaying.
These funds continued after Glenn left RSBN to affix Actual America’s Voice final spring. The marketing campaign gave the net video outlet a further $100,000 from June 2024 by way of the tip of the yr, capped off with a $57,000 cost on Nov. 14, the week following the election.
Glenn referred additional questions in regards to the funds to RSBN founder Joe Seales. In a 2024 Politico profile, Glenn was described as “the star who Seales has largely handed management over to.”
Glenn didn’t dispute that characterization, however stated, “I wasn’t the CEO so I didn’t deal with enterprise choices. Simply programming content material.”
RSBN President Grace Saldana stated Seales was not obtainable for interviews however confirmed the monetary association with the Trump marketing campaign. “The funds in query had been for video manufacturing providers RSBN offered to the marketing campaign. Particularly, we delivered dwell video protection of marketing campaign rallies, which they used on their social media, and so forth.,” she stated by way of e mail.
Glenn, who earlier in his profession labored on the ABC affiliate in Dallas, has been a darling of the White Home press workplace since Trump returned to energy in January. Throughout his time at RSBN, Glenn would describe Trump to his streaming audiences in a extra constructive mild than even Trump describes himself. A go-to query of his to rallygoers was to ask what they beloved most about Trump.
Leavitt introduced final month that she would seize management of the every day press pool that covers the president in small areas just like the Oval Workplace and Air Pressure One to switch conventional, fact-based shops with overtly pro-Trump cheerleaders, who sometimes collect alongside the briefing room partitions. On Wednesday, for instance, that coterie was given about half of the questions Leavitt allowed, and most requested her why Democrats had behaved so badly throughout Trump’s speech to Congress the earlier evening.
Amongst that group, Glenn seems to be a singular star, gaining access to Oval Workplace occasions even when he isn’t within the introduced pool that day. “In the event that they invite me, I’m going in,” he stated.
That occurred early final week when Glenn was introduced into an govt order signing the place Trump began providing purple “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING” caps to reporters. The standard journalists all declined, however Glenn eagerly asked for one.
Final Friday, Glenn was within the very first journey pool rotation to function a “secondary TV correspondent and crew” along with the traditional tv pool.
And earlier that day, he was invited into the Oval Workplace assembly between Trump and Zelenskyy, though he was not listed in that day’s on-campus pool assignments. It was there that he requested Zelenskyy why he didn’t put on a swimsuit to the assembly and that “loads of Individuals have issues with you not respecting the dignity of this workplace.”
Zelenskyy has on quite a few events stated that when Russia’s three-year outdated invasion has been repelled and the struggle is over, he’ll resume carrying a regular swimsuit. He instructed Glenn the identical on Friday. “Possibly one thing like yours, sure,” he stated. “Possibly one thing higher. I don’t know. We’ll see, possibly one thing cheaper.”
The premise for Glenn’s assertion about “lots” of Individuals having issues with Zelenskyy’s military-style apparel is unclear. In any case, his query was adopted up later by Vice President JD Vance’s criticism that Zelenskyy had been “disrespectful” to Trump and had not been adequately grateful, which quickly led to Trump loudly berating Zelenskyy.
Glenn and a cameraman traveled aboard Air Pressure One to Florida later that day, the primary among the many pro-Trump reporters ― together with a author from Ben Shapiro’s Each day Wire ― to affix the home journey pool, changing The Related Press’ reporter, photographer and a further print reporter from the White Home Correspondents Affiliation.
Leavitt stated that Glenn and all the opposite handpicked reporters within the revamped press pool must pay the identical quantity that’s charged to WHCA members who’re additionally on the journey. On a weekend golf tour to Florida, that invoice can method $3,000 per seat.
Go Advert-Free — And Shield The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
“Everybody touring on Air Pressure One pays the identical charge,” she stated.
