President Donald Trump said Friday he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, citing what he called years of unfair coverage from the three outlets.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Taking questions later in the Oval Office, Trump pointed to what he described as “cumulative stories” the outlets have run over the years. “You get sick of it,” he said. He denied that the move was meant to intimidate journalists from doing their jobs.
A senior White House official told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy that top executives at CNN, MS NOW and Politico were being informed their journalists cannot be on White House grounds beginning Saturday. As of Friday, CNN was still broadcasting live from its tent on media row outside the White House.
A Rotating Press Pool
CNN has for decades been part of a rotating pool of five networks, along with Fox News, that travel with the president. The network is already scheduled to lead pool coverage Monday when Trump attends the United Nations General Assembly.
Past attempts by the Trump administration to bar outlets or individual reporters have previously been blocked by federal judges. Asked about that history, Trump said, “I don’t think that a court should allow fake news to be written day, after day, after day. I think that somebody has a right to keep them away.”
Pushback From the Outlets
CNN responded in a statement posted on X: “CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
Politico told Fox News Digital in a statement: “Politico will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them.” A spokesperson for MS NOW declined to comment.
Sanders Defends Trump’s Accessibility
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first term, was present at the Oval Office event, which was focused on healthcare. She rejected the idea that Trump opposes the free press guaranteed under the First Amendment.
“I think it’s hard for you to argue against a free press when you’re literally standing in the Oval Office asking questions of the president of the United States,” Sanders told reporters. “He has been more accessible and easier to talk to than any president in history.”
