Trump bans CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House as reporters are denied access to the grounds

Reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were denied entry to the White House on Saturday after President Donald Trump announced a ban on the three outlets, marking a sharp escalation in his administration’s confrontation with the American press.

The ban took effect Saturday morning. Secret Service officers at a security gate outside the West Wing deactivated or confiscated press badges belonging to journalists from all three organizations, who had covered the administration from inside the executive complex as recently as Friday. MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, said a reporter and a photographer were denied access. White House correspondent Akayla Gardner said an officer asked her to hand over her badge because it was disabled. She asked why. Gardner said the officer told her the decision was above him. The photographer’s badge was also disabled. An MS NOW producer was still able to scan her badge and enter the grounds, though no explanation was given for why her access remained active. CNN reporter Betsy Klein, who has covered the White House in some capacity since the Obama administration, said a Secret Service agent took her badge and referred her to the White House press office. Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett was subsequently turned away. Secret Service denied her entry and confiscated her pass.

Trump cites cumulative frustration with coverage

Trump announced the ban Friday in a Truth Social post, saying the outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report “FICTION and LIES” when covering the president. He added, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” Later, in the Oval Office, Trump said no single story prompted the decision. He said it was “really just cumulative stories over the last two years. You get sick of it.” When a Bloomberg News reporter asked Trump at a Friday press conference whether he was trying to intimidate the press, Trump responded, “No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you’re terrible.” He accused the outlets of purposely writing negative news to diminish Republicans and a Republican administration. Trump also said the effort is worthwhile regardless of whether it survives legal challenge. “I think it’s good to point it out whether it survives or doesn’t,” he said.

Trump warned that other outlets could join the ban. When asked what he meant, he named the New York Times and the Washington Post as “fake news.” He has not issued a directive banning additional organizations.

Outlets and advocates respond

All three outlets condemned the decision. CNN called the ban “an illegal assault on this fundamental right” and said it has a right under the U.S. Constitution to report without government interference. MS NOW said the White House “belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars” and pledged to defend its First Amendment rights. Politico editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger told his newsroom the company stands by its reporters and will “vigorously defend” those rights.

Press freedom advocates moved swiftly. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said it expected the ban to be struck down quickly by the courts because it was “flatly unconstitutional.” Bruce Brown, president of the organization, said the First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it cannot ban others because it does not like their reporting. The White House Correspondents’ Association called on the administration to immediately restore access. WHCA president Jacqui Heinrich said courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides access, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of reporting.

Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said in a news release that the move raises constitutional concerns. The ACLU’s Arthur Spitzer told CNBC the ban is likely 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. CNN media analyst Brian Stelter called the move “a direct threat to press freedom in the United States.” “This is a free speech test in America,” Stelter said.

The ban fits a pattern. Last year, the administration restricted Associated Press access to the Oval Office and presidential travel after the agency declined to adopt the administration’s preferred name, “Gulf of America,” for the Gulf of Mexico. That case remains ongoing. In 2018, Trump’s White House briefly tried to suspend a CNN reporter’s press pass. The AP said Saturday it supports the banned outlets. A key legal precedent is the 1977 federal appeals court ruling in Sherrill v. Knight, which found that once the White House establishes press facilities for credentialed journalists, access cannot be denied arbitrarily or for less than compelling reasons. The court also said journalists denied credentials must receive notice of the factual basis, an opportunity to respond, and a final written explanation. It is not yet clear what legal recourse the three outlets will pursue.

The confrontation comes amid a midterm election season in which Democrats hold an edge, with Trump facing pushback over an unpopular war in the Middle East, a looming affordability crisis, and threats to demolish the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center. The administration has also taken legal action against U.S. and international outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC, with some lawsuits resulting in multimillion-dollar settlements. Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC is ongoing.