President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
However, by Friday evening, the administration had not shown any sign of enforcing the ban.
Trump announced the ban in a Truth Social post on Sept 18 and said it took effect immediately. He wrote that the outlets should not be able to “constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” about his administration. He named no story that led to the decision. He said “other outlets” could follow, and he told reporters in the Oval Office that he considers The New York Times and The Washington Post fake news.
Asked why he made the announcement on Friday, Trump said there was “no reason.” He called the measure a “very simple ban” but did not explain how it would work. He said it came from coverage over the past few years.
Trump also accused Politico of taking an “illegal and ridiculous” $8 million subscription from the federal government under former President Joe Biden. Politico said the claim is false and has been debunked. Trump said MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, changed its name because of low viewership and poor credibility.
CNN reporters stayed in their White House workspace into Friday evening. A CNN crew also traveled with Vice President JD Vance as the television pool reporters. The announcement surprised some White House staff, including members of the press office, a source told CNN.
CNN said the ban would be an “illegal assault” on a constitutional right if it goes ahead. Politico said it “will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones.” MS NOW declined to comment.
Press freedom and legal groups said the ban would violate the First Amendment. Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called it “flatly unconstitutional” and said courts would strike it down quickly. Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the White House press pool is a public forum, so the president cannot exclude journalists over their views. The American Civil Liberties Union also called the ban unconstitutional.
Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and a Fox News reporter, said the group stands with the three outlets. Fox News contributors also criticized the ban.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, wrote that Trump “just did what dictators throughout history have done.”
International groups also objected. Reporters Without Borders said it is exploring legal options. Amnesty International said Trump wants to avoid scrutiny by punishing journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists called the ban arbitrary and said it violates the First Amendment. No foreign government had commented by Saturday.
This is not the first time Trump is restricting media access before. Shortly after taking office in January 2025, he barred The Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One and some events because it kept using “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.” The AP sued, and the case continues. In February 2025, the White House took control of the press pool from the White House Correspondents’ Association, which had run it for more than 100 years. CNN is one of five U.S. outlets that film video for the pool.
