President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, escalating his long-running campaign against news organizations he considers hostile to his administration. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post before repeating it to reporters in the Oval Office later that afternoon.
In his post, Trump said the three outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America.” He added, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
Trump Cites “Cumulative Stories” as Justification
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the ban was a response to “cumulative stories” by the three organizations. “You get sick of it,” he told reporters gathered there. He acknowledged the action might not survive a legal challenge but said it was worth pursuing anyway, stating, “I think it’s good to point it out whether it survives or doesn’t.”
The move represents a significant escalation even by Trump’s standards. His administration briefly attempted to suspend a CNN reporter’s press pass in 2018 and is currently fighting a lawsuit over its ban of Associated Press journalists from certain White House spaces, including the Oval Office and Air Force One. That ban followed the AP’s decision to continue calling the Gulf of Mexico by its traditional name rather than adopting Trump’s preferred “Gulf of America.” A federal judge ruled in April 2025 that the AP action was “contrary to the First Amendment,” though a federal appeals court has paused that ruling while the administration appeals. You can read more about the White House press ban announcement and the legal landscape surrounding it.
CNN and the ACLU Push Back on First Amendment Grounds
CNN responded swiftly with a formal statement defending its journalists. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” the network said. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
Arthur Spitzer, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, told CNBC the ban is unconstitutional. “He’s plainly discriminating against them because they don’t like the way they report the news, and the government isn’t supposed to do that,” Spitzer said of Trump. “Certainly, our view is the president cannot control, or try to control, the news by banning outlets from official events because he doesn’t like the way they’re reporting on him.” Spitzer is currently representing the ACLU in the ongoing AP access case.
What Comes Next for Press Access
Legal challenges are widely expected. A federal appeals court has already noted, in a footnote related to the AP case, that the White House cannot deny access to larger spaces such as the East Room “arbitrarily or based on the content of a journalist’s speech.” That language could become a key reference point if CNN or Politico seek emergency relief in court.
Weija Jiang, who served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association until July, responded to Trump’s post by quoting the full text of the First Amendment. The association’s current president is Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. MS NOW had no immediate comment Friday, and CNBC said it had reached out to Politico for a response. Disclosure: CNBC and MS NOW are divisions of Versant Media.
