President Donald Trump said Friday that he is “immediately” banning CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House, accusing the three outlets of spreading “fake news” and warning that other organizations could face similar action. The announcement, made in a lengthy Truth Social post, represents the sharpest escalation yet in the president’s long-running battle with American news organizations and is expected to draw legal challenges over First Amendment protections for the press.
Trump did not identify any specific reporting that triggered the ban. He wrote that media outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” when covering the president, his administration, or the United States. He added: “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
In his post, Trump also made specific claims about the targeted outlets. He said MS Now had recently changed its name from MSNBC due to what he described as lack of viewership and credibility. He accused Politico of receiving an illegal $8 million subscription from the U.S. government under former President Joe Biden, calling it corruption. According to CBS News, as reported by Variety, government spending data from USAspending.gov showed federal agencies collectively spent more than $8 million on Politico subscriptions and products in 2024.
Asked about the ban in the Oval Office, Trump said there was “no reason” for the timing on Friday afternoon. “It’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years,” he said. “You get sick of it.” He acknowledged that legal challenges may follow, adding that he thought it was “good to point it out, whether it survives or doesn’t.” He also said he did not think a court should allow “fake news to be written day after day after day.”
The ban’s scope remains unclear. Reporters from both Politico and CNN were still on White House grounds shortly after the announcement, according to the BBC. A CNN crew was also traveling with Vice President JD Vance to and from an event in Iowa. The BBC noted that it is uncertain whether employees of the banned outlets would be prevented from entering the White House grounds. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from CNBC, the BBC, or Variety.
A pattern of press restrictions
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump and his administration have repeatedly clashed with the White House press corps. In February of that year, the White House announced it was taking back control of the press pool, which for more than a century had been managed by the White House Correspondents’ Association. The same month, the administration moved to bar Associated Press reporters and photographers from limited-access spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, citing the outlet’s continued use of “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.”
The AP swiftly filed a lawsuit. According to CNBC, a federal judge ruled in April 2025 that Trump’s action against the AP was “contrary to the First Amendment,” and an appeal of that decision is pending. However, Variety reported that an appeals court found the White House’s ban of the AP was not a First Amendment violation. The BBC described the case as ongoing.
The Pentagon also attempted to introduce a new press policy restricting journalists’ ability to gather and report sensitive information, according to The Guardian. The policy culminated in a mass walkout by news outlets that refused to sign the pledge, and a federal judge later ruled the policy unconstitutional.
Reactions and legal questions
Press freedom organizations and media figures swiftly condemned the ban. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said it was difficult to imagine “a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticizing the government.” He said the attacks demonstrate “how scared he is of an informed public.”
Weija Jiang, who served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association until July, responded by quoting the First Amendment in full. The current president of the association is Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. The association did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reported from Washington that the ban will likely be challenged, noting that the First Amendment says the government cannot restrict press access. He observed that other presidents, including Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, had also been angry at press coverage but were told that banning reporters was “not a good look.”
Trump has pursued legal action against several U.S. and international news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the BBC. During his first term, he banned CNN correspondent Jim Acosta from the White House, but credentials were restored after CNN sued. CNBC noted that CNBC and MS Now are divisions of Versant Media.