White House press blackout: Trump bans CNN, MS NOW & Politico, warns others may follow

The CNN said its journalists are still working from the White House. Therefore, the scope and enforcement of the restrictions are unclear.

Washington: US President Donald Trump has announced an immediate ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. He accused the three news organisations of publishing “fake news” about his administration.

He made the announcement on Truth Social on Friday (September 18), saying the publications would be barred from the White House “effective immediately”. He also warned that other media organisations could face the same fate.

“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW ... and Politico ... from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Trump wrote.

He added, “Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

The president did not identify a specific report that led to the decision. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he defended the move and accused the three organisations of deliberately presenting his administration negatively.

“They’re fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news,” he said while talking about MS NOW, which was formerly known as MSNBC.

Trump repeats Politico $8 million claim

He singled out Politico over federal government payments for subscriptions to its news and research services. In his post, he alleged that the publication received an “illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription” from the US government under former President Joe Biden and called it “corruption”.

The amount refers to federal contracts for Politico Pro subscriptions and related services, rather than a government grant to keep the news organisation operating.

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FactCheck.org reported in 2025 that Politico received more than $8 million in federal contract obligations during fiscal year 2024, with the money paid for subscriptions and access to Politico Pro. The Biden administration was not the only administration whose agencies bought such subscriptions.

PolitiFact also found that the $8.1 million amount circulating at the time represented federal contracts across agencies. It said the payments were for subscriptions and services rather than funding for Politico.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump again referred to the payments while criticising Politico's coverage.

“It’s fake news... And when you look at P, is Politico, I mean, they got a government -- the government under Biden gave them like USD 8 million to keep them afloat. The stories they wrote are fake,” he said.

Trump threatens more media bans

The president also left open the possibility of extending the restrictions to other media organisations.

“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, and if they could straighten themselves out, you know, if they could straighten themselves out, I’d love it,” he said.

“There’s a lot of news, and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better,” he added.

He also said the United States needs a free and fair press.

“But our country has to have honest news. You don’t have a country unless you have, as I say, borders, good voting ... But you need borders, and you need fair, free voting. And you know what you need? You need a free press. You need a fair press and an honest press,” Trump said.

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The practical scope of the announcement was not immediately clear. CNN reported that its journalists were still working from the White House on Friday and that there was no immediate sign that the administration had taken steps to enforce the ban.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said the move could face a constitutional challenge. Its president, Bruce D. Brown, said, “A ban like this would be flatly unconstitutional,” arguing that the government cannot exclude journalists because of their reporting once it has opened access to other journalists.

Trump's AP fight fuels another media clash

Trump's latest action follows his earlier dispute with The Associated Press over access to the White House.

In February 2025, the White House restricted AP journalists from Oval Office events and the Air Force One after the news agency continued using “Gulf of Mexico” rather than Trump's preferred term, “Gulf of America”. The administration said AP's position was “divisive”.

The AP challenged the restrictions in federal court, arguing that the White House had retaliated against the news organisation because of its editorial decision.

A federal judge later ordered the administration to restore AP's access to presidential events and ruled that the government could not punish the news organisation over its choice of language. The judge wrote that when the government opens access to some journalists, it cannot shut out others because of their viewpoints.

However, the appeals subsequently allowed the administration to keep some restrictions on AP access.

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