President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday that he is banning MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House, effective immediately, accusing the news organizations of repeatedly reporting what he called “fake news.”
Trump accused the outlets of reporting “FICTION and LIES” about him, his administration and the United States. He did not cite specific reports that prompted the decision and suggested other news organizations could face similar action. Trump frequently uses the term “fake news” to reference factual unflattering reports about him and his administration.
The Trump administration has taken no formal action at this time. Several MS NOW reporters were on the White House premises when Trump posted his announcement on Truth Social. CNN also reported that its reporters remained at the White House on Friday afternoon.
MS NOW did not have an immediate comment. Politico did not immediately responded to MS NOW’s request for comment.
CNN defended its White House team and said it would challenge any effort to restrict its access.
“CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” the network said in a statement. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
Trump defended the ban while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, reiterating no single report prompted the move. Instead, he pointed to what he called “cumulative stories over the last few years” and accused the outlets, without evidence, of intentionally publishing negative coverage of Republicans and his administration.
Trump also acknowledged that his proposed restrictions could face a legal challenge.
“Whether it survives or doesn’t,” Trump said, “I think that somebody has a right to keep them away if they’re going to write false stories all the time.”
The move marks another potential First Amendment test for the Trump administration over its treatment of the press. Courts have previously considered whether the White House can restrict access based on an outlet’s editorial choices, and Trump’s administration has faced legal challenges over press access.
The White House previously restricted The Associated Press’ access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and other presidential spaces over the wire service’s decision to continue using the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America” after Trump’s executive order seeking to rename the international body of water. The AP sued, arguing that the restrictions violated the First Amendment, and a federal judge ordered the White House to restore its access, ruling that the government could not punish the organization for its editorial choices. The administration appealed, and the case remains pending.
The administration also excluded a Wall Street Journal reporter from Air Force One in 2025 after objecting to the newspaper’s reporting about Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
When pressed on the First Amendment and whether the move was intended to intimidate the press, Trump told reporters, “No, no, no,” adding that he opposed what he called “dishonest press.”
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused Trump of “North Korea levels of censorship” following his announcement on Friday.
“These attacks on free speech are insane,” Garcia said in a post on X. “The First Amendment is sacred in this country. We must defend it at all costs.”
Press freedom advocates also quickly criticized the announcement. Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the ban would violate free speech protections against excluding journalists based on their coverage.
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the ban would violate free speech protections against excluding journalists based on their coverage.
“If President Trump means to expel these news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a ‘public forum’ under the First Amendment, which means the president can’t exclude journalists from it on the basis of their viewpoints,” Jaffer said.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation called the move a “blatant violation of the First Amendment” and accused Trump of retaliating against news organizations for critical coverage.
“The press keeps exposing his corruption and his failures,” Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the said in a statement. “These outrageous attacks only demonstrate how scared he is of an informed public.”
Lisa Rubin contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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