Fox News has removed itself from the White House television press pool, creating a significant broadcast gap for a president who regularly uses the cable network as a preferred megaphone. The decision came the same day CNN, MSNBC, and Politico filed suit in federal court over a separate Trump administration ban on their reporters entering the White House grounds.
The White House tried to fill the void by turning to what is known as the “secondary TV pool,” a smaller group of outlets with fewer transmission resources. The workaround fell short during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new heliport on the South Lawn, where audio of President Trump was difficult to hear, drawing mockery on social media.
Fox News’s Complicated History With Trump
The Fox News White House TV pool suspension is the latest sign of an uneasy relationship between the network and the president. The most dramatic flashpoint came on election night in 2020, when Trump, Jared Kushner, and other campaign aides pressured Fox executives, including then-Chairman Rupert Murdoch, to reverse the network’s call that Joe Biden had won Arizona. Murdoch reportedly responded to the pressure by saying, “F*** him,” referring to Trump.
Fox News later settled a $787.5 million defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over false claims broadcast about voting machines. This month, the network also fired Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo amid reports that she had shared internal editorial guidance instructing staff not to give credibility to Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was “stolen.
Republican strategist Alex Conant told the Washington Examiner he was not surprised by Fox’s pool decision, noting the network “has generally been very supportive of media access.” You can read more in Fox News White House pool coverage about the broader fallout from the press restrictions.
CNN, MSNBC, and Politico Sue Over Press Ban
Fox’s move followed a Truth Social post on Friday in which the Trump administration told CNN, MSNBC, and Politico they could not participate in their respective press pools or access White House grounds, where all three organizations pay for working space. Secret Service agents began revoking their hard pass identification cards on Saturday.
The three outlets sued the administration Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump nominee who ruled against the administration in a similar press access case involving CNN’s Jim Acosta in 2018, quickly ordered the Justice Department to respond to the outlets’ request for a temporary restraining order by Tuesday and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.
The networks and cable channels issued a joint statement Monday, writing, “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.” A White House official pushed back, telling the Washington Examiner, “The Fake News has no place demanding a spot in the President’s Oval Office.”
Trump Vows to Appeal, Fight Restraining Order
Trump made clear Monday he intends to contest the lawsuit and any court order limiting his press restrictions. “We’ll go for appeal because Fake News people and publications that only write negatively, and who violate our National Security by writing false and defamatory stories with unknown ‘sources,’ shouldn’t be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World,” he wrote on social media.
The White House also argued that limiting press access is not unprecedented, citing restrictions under former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. “The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool,” the White House said in a statement. Republican strategist Douglas Heye dismissed the idea that Fox’s decision would soften Trump’s position, a point the president confirmed with his pledge to appeal.
