Trump Bans CNN, MS Now, Politico From the White House

On Saturday, September 19, President Trump fulfilled his promise to deny CNN, MSNOW, and Politico access to the White House. The New York Times reports that journalists from these outlets had their badges confiscated. “Early today, CNN journalists were denied access to the White House grounds. CNN’s mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and other government buildings, or any other attempts to impede our journalism,” CNN stated. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right.” MSNOW added: “We stand firmly behind our anchors, our reporters, and our newsroom. We will continue to report on the President, the administration, and the issues that impact the American people.”

In a Truth Social post on Friday, President Trump vowed to ban “Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to a lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them ‘alive.’ Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House.” The man has a way with a parenthetical (though the absence of one for CNN gives the run-on an even more structureless vibe; remember the rule of threes!).

It’s not clear why Trump is lashing out now. He most recently tried to ban the Associated Press from all briefings back in June. The courts, however, mandated the AP be allowed to presser in large spaces like the East Room. The AP ban had a clear ignition point, refusing to call Lake Ontario “Lake America.” When asked about his new bans, Trump kept it vague. “It’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years,” he said. “You get sick of it.”

CNN responded to the “ban” on September 18 by noting that they were still in the White House, and that no one had actually done anything to eject them just yet. “CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” the network 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.” Trump promised the ban of “other Fake News outlets to follow.” Keep your head on a swivel, Bloomberg.