Fox 5 camera operator told to stop filming Trump at Freedom 250 Grand Prix
Key Takeaways
- •An unidentified man repeatedly ordered a Fox 5 camera operator to turn cameras away from President Trump's presidential suite during Sunday's Freedom 250 IndyCar race in Washington, D.C.
- •The camera operator stated that the crew was acting as the press pool covering Trump for Fox, CNN, CBS, and ABC.
- •Emmy Award-winning journalist Brendan Keefe called the demand an unlawful government order, arguing that the First Amendment protects the press recording elected officials in places where they are allowed to be present.
- •A viral clip from the presidential suite, viewed nearly 3 million times as of Monday morning, appeared to show first lady Melania Trump stepping away from her husband after spotting aide Natalie Harp.
- •Television crews covering the race were already operating under a pool arrangement, a common setup in which one outlet captures footage shared across multiple networks.
A Fox 5 camera operator was seen on video Sunday being issued what one journalist described as an “unlawful order,” one intended to keep President Donald Trump from being filmed at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
“I need the cameras off the president right now… cameras off the president right now!” an unidentified man can be heard telling a Fox 5 camera operator, who was filming Trump in his presidential suite at the IndyCar race in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
The camera operator, who is not seen in the video of the exchange, is heard replying, “we’re the pool with President Trump for the entire networks: Fox, CNN, CBS, ABC,” before being interrupted again.
“I understand that, but we’ve asked you to turn the cameras off the presidential suite, and we’ll be with you in a moment,” the man is heard saying.
The exchange, which was captured in Fox 5 Washington DC’s live coverage of the racing event, drew a response from Emmy Award-winning television journalist Brendan Keefe.
“You can tell us where we can be. You cannot tell us what to film,” Keefe wrote in a social media post on X Sunday night. “‘Cameras off’ is an unlawful order from government, especially when recording an elected official.”
The confrontation came as television crews covering the race were already working within a pool arrangement, a common setup for high-profile events where one outlet captures footage for multiple networks. In that context, disputes over where cameras can be placed can quickly draw scrutiny, especially when the subject is a sitting president and the footage is being recorded in a public-facing event space.
Video of Trump and first lady Melania Trump in the presidential suite during Sunday’s race went viral Sunday, with one clip — viewed nearly 3 million times as of Monday morning — appearing to show her leave her husband’s side after spotting Natalie Harp, Trump’s 35-year-old female aide who has been referred to as the president’s “human binky” because of her unusually close relationship with the commander in chief.
“The 1st Amendment allows the press to record in any place they're allowed to be present,” Keefe continued. “Case law is clear. The Constitution constrains government, not the People. The framers knew a free press & an informed electorate are the cornerstones of a free democratic republic.”
