Trump inaugurates new White House helipad, but networks skip

So the networks boycotted a helipad. That's the level of petulance we're dealing with. Trump cut a ribbon on a landing zone that's been needed for years, and the press corps decided it was beneath them because CNN wasn't invited up the driveway. Nobody is buying that this is about press freedom. It's about wounded pride.

The First Amendment guarantees a free press, not a permanent seat on the South Lawn. The White House still accredits CNN, CNN still reports, and their lawyers are still billing hours. What changed is that the president finally said enough to a network that has acted like an arm of the opposition since 2016. If the networks want to sulk instead of covering the President of the United States, that tells you exactly whose interests they serve.

The helipad itself is a good story. It replaces a decrepit asphalt pad that was a security headache and an eyesore. Trump pointed out the old one looked like a parking lot at a 1970s shopping mall. He's not wrong. It's a small win for common sense and for the people who work at the White House.

Skipping the ceremony cost them nothing but credibility. The press isn't guarding democracy, it's guarding its own feelings. And the public notices. Most Americans don't care about the helipad, but they do recognize a tantrum when they see one.