Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House
US President Donald Trump has announced an “immediate” ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, escalating his long-running tensions with several American news organisations.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump accused the three outlets of repeatedly publishing or broadcasting what he described as “fiction or lies” about his administration, but did not identify any specific reports to support the claim.
It remains unclear what the proposed ban would involve or whether journalists from the affected organisations would be barred from entering the White House complex.
The announcement is expected to face legal challenges from the media organisations and press freedom groups.
Despite the announcement, reporters from CNN and Politico were still present at the White House shortly afterwards. A CNN crew was also travelling with Vice-President JD Vance to and from an event in Iowa.
Trump said media organisations should not be allowed to repeatedly publish what he considers false information about the president, his administration or the United States. He also warned that other news organisations could be targeted.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said there was no particular reason the announcement was made on Friday, describing it instead as the result of what he called a pattern of coverage over several years.
“It’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years,” he said. “You get sick of it.”
Trump again suggested that additional media outlets could be included but did not identify them. He also acknowledged that his decision could face legal challenges, saying he believed it was important to raise the issue even if the courts ultimately rejected the move.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump and his administration have repeatedly clashed with members of the White House press corps.
In February 2025, the White House announced that it would assume control of the press pool that provides journalists with access to the president, ending more than a century of management by the White House Correspondents’ Association.
That same month, the administration restricted Associated Press journalists and photographers from certain areas with limited access, including the Oval Office and Air Force One, over the organisation’s continued use of the term “Gulf of Mexico” rather than “Gulf of America”.
The Associated Press subsequently filed a lawsuit, which remains ongoing.
Trump has frequently engaged in confrontations with reporters aboard Air Force One and in the Oval Office, often describing journalists as “fake news” or “rude”.
During his first term, Trump also revoked the White House credentials of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta. His access was later restored after CNN took legal action.
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University criticised Friday’s announcement, arguing that Trump had previously faced court rulings against efforts to exclude journalists based on their viewpoints.
The institute’s executive director, Jameel Jaffer, said that if Trump intended to remove the three organisations from the White House press pool, such a move would raise First Amendment concerns because the press pool constitutes a public forum.
Trump has previously pursued legal action against several US and international media organisations, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the BBC.
The BBC said it had contacted the White House for a response to Trump’s latest announcement.
Source: BBC
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