Donald Trump announced on Friday that CNN, MS Now and Politico were being expelled from the White House “effective immediately,” accusing them of repeatedly publishing what he called fake news. He also warned that other outlets could face bans.
The announcement came in a Truth Social post and was defended by Trump at an Oval Office event. When asked how the restriction would work, he appeared uncertain about the details and referred to it as a ban on the free press.
Why Trump said the outlets were targeted
Trump said the decision followed what he described as cumulative coverage over several years, rather than one specific report. He said the move was unrelated to reports about undisclosed US military deaths in the war on Iran, an AI-generated intelligence report involving a Chinese ship in the Middle East, and a report about sensitive F-35 technology reaching Hong Kong.
At an Oval Office event promoting his healthcare policies, Trump said he did not receive fair coverage and asked for what he called “a semblance of truth.” He said the restrictions could expand to other media organisations.
Who is affected
- CNN said it stood behind its White House team and would defend its constitutional right to report without government interference.
- Politico said its reporters would continue covering the administration and would defend their First Amendment rights.
- MS Now declined to comment.
- The White House Correspondents’ Association said the dispute concerned the public’s right to an independent account of presidential actions and decisions.
Press groups challenge the legality
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, said the White House press pool is a public forum and that excluding journalists because of their viewpoints would violate the First Amendment. He described such a move as “doubly unconstitutional.”
Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation also called the proposed exclusion a blatant First Amendment violation. Democratic Senator Chris Coons accused Trump of using presidential power to punish a free press.
The White House Correspondents’ Association said it stood behind reporters being singled out for doing their jobs. CNN said any ban threatened by Trump would be an illegal assault on constitutionally protected reporting rights, while Politico said it would continue covering the White House. Read the context: Late-night hosts mock Donald Trump’s awkward performance at White House correspondents’ dinner.
A wider fight over White House access
The announcement follows other restrictions on major news organisations since Trump returned to office. The Associated Press was barred from press-pool events in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One after continuing to use “Gulf of Mexico” rather than “Gulf of America” in its coverage; the AP’s lawsuit remains in litigation.
Trump’s White House has also taken control of organising the presidential press pool, a rotating system that determines which journalists can attend smaller presidential settings. Separately, a Pentagon policy intended to restrict reporting on sensitive information led to a mass media walkout, and a federal judge later ruled the policy unconstitutional. Related coverage: The White House Correspondents’ Dinner resumes after April violence, Trump to attend.
The president has also pursued legal disputes with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC News and the BBC.
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