President Donald Trump barred CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House on Friday, accusing the outlets of producing “fake news.” He also warned that other news organizations could face the same punishment as he escalates his fight with the press.
Donald Trump threatens additional restrictions after barring three outlets from White House access
Donald Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, writing that the ban took effect immediately. He told reporters in the Oval Office minutes later that the outlets brought it on themselves. “Because they’re fake news,” he said when asked to explain. He singled out CNN’s ratings, called MS NOW’s output fake, and said Politico’s stories were fabricated. “There may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better,” he added. “But our country has to have honest news.”
Trump gave no roadmap for how the ban would work, and by late Friday, journalists from all three outlets were still working on the White House grounds. Nothing suggested the administration had begun removing them. CNN said it stands behind its White House team and its “fair and accurate reporting,” adding in a statement on X that the Constitution protects that work. Politico promised to keep covering the White House fairly and to “vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.” MS NOW has yet to comment.
The threat fits a broader push by the president against outlets he dislikes. He has sued or pressured The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC, and his administration remains locked in a licensing fight with ABC. Blocking CNN carries extra weight because the network belongs to the five-network television pool that travels with the president and documents his movements for the public.
Moreover, the National Press Club called the move an attempt to control who witnesses presidential power. Mark Schoeff Jr., President of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said on X that the club “condemns President Trump’s declaration.”
A 1977 ruling, Sherrill v. Knight, holds that once the White House opens press facilities to credentialed journalists, it cannot shut them out over the content of their coverage.
