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President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House on Friday, citing what he called “FAKE NEWS” coverage of his administration.
In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote that outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” about his administration. He warned other news organizations could face similar restrictions.
Later, taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said there was no single story behind the decision. “It’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years, you get sick of it,” he said, adding that outlets “purposely write negative news” to “diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.”
When asked what the ban would involve, the U.S. President said, “I don’t want them in my office. I don’t want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth backed the move on X, saying the Department of War “fully supports” the decision to have the outlets publish “from outside the White House.” He said the outlets had already “self-deport[ed] from the Pentagon,” accusing them of endangering troops with “false stories, leaks, and” fictional accounts of the president and U.S. forces.
The Department of War fully supports President Trump’s decision to kick CNN, MSN̶B̶C̶NOW and Politico to the curb so they can publish their Fake News from outside the White House.
We are grateful these outlets already chose to self-deport from the Pentagon. They endangered our…
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) September 18, 2026
Legal Fight Looms Over Constitutional Access CNN, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD), called the threatened ban an illegal assault. “CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” the company said in a statement. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
Politico, owned by privately held Axel Springer, wrote on X that it “will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones” and would “vigorously defend” its First Amendment rights “against any attempt to restrict them.” The outlet added that claims it received government subsidies “are false and have been thoroughly debunked.”
POLITICO will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them.
The claims that POLITICO received government subsidies are false and have been thoroughly debunked.
— POLITICO Press (@POLITICOPress) September 18, 2026
Precedent Points to Court Battle Trump previously barred The Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other limited-space events after the wire service declined to adopt his preferred name, “Gulf of America,” for the Gulf of Mexico. The AP sued, and the case remains ongoing.
The tactic echoes his first term, when he revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta‘s White House press credentials following a contentious exchange at a news conference. CNN challenged that decision in court, and it was overturned.