Former President Donald Trump, seen through a camera viewfinder, speaks to members of the media at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 2, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

In an exclusive interview with WCPT 820AM, KSDK reporter Mark Maxwell revealed that the Trump campaign is vetting questions from local media, urging reporters to avoid inquiries regarding the 2020 election.

“They’re saying ‘look, if you play nice we might give you some airtime. You’ll feel real important, you can talk to the former president, put him on your airwaves, but if you ask about the 2020 election, you’re out,'” Maxwell disclosed last Saturday on “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath.”

“That’s bogus, we’re not gonna play ball like that. I mean that’s not how this works, you don’t get to screen our questions,” Maxwell continued. “But for as much as they bluster about 2020 being stolen, they’re very sensitive to it. They don’t like the topic.”

The vetting comes as next month’s Republican National Convention (RNC) quickly approaches. However, there has been no confirmation that former President Donald Trump will be allowed to physically attend the RNC, according to NBC News. Trump currently faces the possibility of being placed under house arrest following his hush money trial conviction. The hearing to determine his sentence is on July 11, just four days before the start of the convention. 

The RNC is working aside the Trump campaign to prepare Trump’s appearance, whether it be virtually or in-person. There will be a “convention-themed staging at Mar-a-Lago, along with a massive screen at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where most convention activities will take place,” according to NBC News’ Matt Dixon.

In the event that the former president is unable to attend, this would be the first time that a presidential nominee would not be at the convention for the formal acceptance of their nomination.