New Mexico –
On September 18th, 2026, President Donald Trump abruptly revoked the media credentials for three media outlets from covering the President at the White House. It has caused quite the stir among the nation with a President blocking access to outlets. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham got into the mix saying she supports media. But we would like to remind the public that she does not in fact support ALL media.
In 2020, ABQ RAW was banned from press events during Gov. Lujan Grisham’s virtual COVID-19 press briefings. We made several attempts with her media staff to be added into the virtual briefings and were completely ignored.
Throughout 2020, we had numerous questions regarding COVID and the way she handled it. We also wanted to ask her about the continuously extended lockdowns, and some scandals about her going out shopping during the lockdown to pick up high dollar jewelry, giving staff huge raises for working less, and serving Wagyu beef and tuna steaks at her lunches. There were instances where we were added to the press list, but then sometimes, we were randomly taken off with no explanation. During this time frame the Governor was up for reelection.
When there was a press event, the Governor’s office would send out the press release and give a date, time, and general location where the event would be held. They would request press to RSVP and they would give all the details for the media outlet to attend. We would RSVP but would never hear back from anyone at the Governors office. We would see other outlets post about the media event because apparently they got the secret back door speakeasy password. During this time, the Governor’s office would put us on the e-mail list and then immediately take us off the list.
In October 2024, we got fed up and filed suit against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for blocking our access to press events and e-mail lists. Throughout this period, the Governor’s legal and press team wanted us to fill out a media application and kept having different obstacles and tests we had to pass for entry. NO other media outlet that had access to the Governor’s office had to fill out the impossible to pass application process.
On the advise of our very smart attorneys ABQ RAW did NOT fill out this made up document to grant us access to a tax-payer funded government agency.
During our lawsuit, public records requests were made for emails related to ABQ RAW. We received the records, but they were heavily redacted and covered a two-year span. It looked like a CIA agency document, or anything related to Epstein.
Our legal team challenged the redacted documents in court and Judge Beatrice Brickhouse ruled the Governor’s office had to turn over the unredacted e-mail documents. This court order demanded the Governor’s office to produce over 34 heavily redacted e-mails by August 17th, 2026.
In the eleventh hour of the deadline, the Governor filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court to prevent the e-mails from getting released.
ABQ RAW was headed to trial with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on September 14th, 2026. But, Judge Brickhouse vacated the trial without any explanation. Now, ABQ RAW is awaiting for a new trial date and the New Mexico Supreme Court to rule on the release of the e-mails.
On September 21st, 2026, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham posted on her government Facebook page regarding President Trump banning media outlets from the White House:
“While the President is banning major American media from the White House, New Mexico is helping to support news in a number of ways. In 2025, I authorized $5.9 million in emergency funding to backfill severe Trump administration cuts to essential public broadcasting in New Mexico. This year, I signed targeted tax credits to help strengthen local journalism and preserve newspaper printing infrastructure across the state. We might not always like or agree with what the media reports, but New Mexicans know that a free press is essential to a functioning democracy.“
For the record, ABQ RAW does qualify for the tax credits under what was passed by the New Mexico Legislature in 2025.
We will see if President Trump’s media ban lasts longer than Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s ban.
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Image portrayed in story is a composite AI generated image.
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