US President Donald Trump talks to supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, on February 24, 2017. Picture: AFP.

The New York Times, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, Politico and Buzzfeed were stopped from attending on Friday, according to posts by reporters from those outlets on Twitter, as were several foreign news organisations. The Associated Press and Time declined to take part.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Picture: AP/Evan VucciSource:AP

The White House was said to have invited press organisations to the event. The three major broadcast networks — CBS, ABC, and NBC — were invited to the briefing, as were several news outlets that play to a conservative readership, such as Breitbart, The Washington Times and One America News Network. The manoeuvre threatens to cut off some of the nation’s most prominent and esteemed news organisations from a daily event that has for years been seen as ingrained in the White House press beat. It also puts a metaphorical barrier between a “gaggle” that allows for the dissemination of information by the President of the United States to the world and the public that elected him to the office.

Spicer said his team opted to have a gaggle in his office instead of a full briefing in the larger White House briefing room.

“Our job is to make sure that we’re responsive to folks in media. We want to make sure we answer your questions, but we don’t need to do everything on camera every day,” he said.

An empty podium is seen as an off camera briefing is held with a small group of reporters and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer instead of an on camera briefing. Picture: AFP/Brendan SmialowskiSource:AFP

It comes as President Donald Trump used his first presidential appearance before the nation’s largest gathering of conservative activists to sharply escalate his criticisms of the news media and take direct aim at the use of anonymous sources.

Reports surfaced overnight that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus had asked a top FBI official to dispute media reports that Mr Trump’s campaign advisers frequently were in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election.

Mr Trump said that reporters “shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name,” he declared, just hours after members of his own staff held a press briefing and refused to allow their names to be used.

“A source says that Donald Trump is a horrible, horrible human being, let them say it to my face,” Mr Trump told the Conservative Political Action Committee. “Let there be no more sources.”

Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Picture: AP.Source:AP

Members of Mr Trump’s White House team regularly demand anonymity when talking to reporters. Mr Trump said he wasn’t against all the press, just “the fake news media or press.” “I’m against the people that make up stories and make up sources,” he said. “They shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name.” It was a triumphal return to CPAC for Mr Trump, warmly welcomed by a crowd that gave him a more wary reception on his first appearance.

Six years ago he stepped to the stage as the “money, money, money, money” chorus of his reality TV show theme song blared. The crowd was less than adoring, occasionally laughing and booing the former Democrat.

Although Mr Trump returned in ensuing years, he was notably absent last year.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp on stage at the CPAC conference. Picture: AFP.Source:AFP

American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp said the presidential candidates were asked to participate in a question-and-answer session, but Mr Trump had wanted to make a speech.

He did show up in 2015, however, a few months before he announced his candidacy. “I am really inclined. I want to do it so badly,” Mr Trump said about the likelihood he’d run.

Now, CPAC is largely the Trump show — “TPAC,” White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway called it.

T RUMP ADVISER ASKED FBI TO DISPUTE RUSSIA REPORTS

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus asked top FBI officials to dispute media reports that Mr Trump’s campaign advisers were frequently in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election, according to three White House officials. Democrats accused Priebus of interfering in a pending investigation.

The officials said that Priebus’ February 15 request to FBI Director James Comey and deputy director Andrew McCabe came as the White House sought to discredit a New York Times report about contacts between Russian intelligence officials and members of Trump’s 2016 campaign team.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. A litany of major news outlets were barred from his daily briefing. Picture: AFP/Mandel NganSource:AFP

TRUMP VOWS MILITARY BUILD-UP

Mr Trump says he will make a massive budget request for one of the “greatest military buildups in American history” in a feisty, campaign-style speech extolling robust nationalism to eager conservative activists. Mr Trump used remarks to CPAC, an organisation that gave him one of his first platforms in his improbable journey to the US presidency, to defend his unabashed “America first” policies.

AGENCY PUBLISHES TIMELINE FOR MEXICO WALL

US Customs and Border Protection says it plans to start awarding contracts by mid-April for Mr Trump’s proposed border wall. The agency said Friday on a website for federal contactors that a request for bids would be published on or around March 6. Companies would have to submit “concept papers” to design and build prototypes by March 10. CBP will narrow the field by March 20 and require that finalists renew their offers by March 24, with a price attached.

The timetable shows that Trump is aggressively pursuing plans to build what he calls “a great wall” on the 3200km border with Mexico.

Mr Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference that construction will start “very soon” and is ahead of schedule.