US President Donald Trump has said he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the three outlets of publishing what he called false reports about his administration.
Trump announced the move in a social media post on Friday, saying the outlets were “reporting FAKE NEWS” and should not be allowed to publish what he described as false information about the president.
He said the three organisations “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States.”
Trump also warned that more media organisations could face similar restrictions, writing, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
Representatives of all three outlets were still working at the White House on Friday afternoon following Trump’s announcement.
However, the White House was informing the organisations that they would be banned from the White House grounds from Saturday, Fox News reported, citing an unnamed senior White House official.
Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office that the decision was not linked to a specific report or incident.
“It’s really just cumulative stories over the past few years,” he said.
Trump added, “I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house.”
When asked what he meant by saying other media organisations would follow, Trump named The New York Times and The Washington Post, describing them as “fake news.”
The precise scope of the proposed ban was not immediately clear. Its legality could also depend on how the White House implements the restrictions.
Courts have given presidents broad discretion over access to selected events, including Oval Office meetings and small press pools. However, wider restrictions on access to generally available White House press facilities or credentials could face legal challenges under the First Amendment and due process protections.
The move represents another break with longstanding White House media practices under the Trump administration, which has reduced access for some major news organisations while increasing the presence of newer outlets viewed as more sympathetic to the administration.
CNN said it stood behind its journalists covering the White House.
“We have a right under the US Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” CNN 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.”
Politico said on X that it would “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,” Politico said.
MS NOW declined to comment.
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, criticised Trump’s announcement.
“It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticizing the government,” Stern said in a statement.
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the First Amendment prevents the president from punishing journalists because he disagrees with 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 in a statement.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
