Trump says he’s banning media outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House

• US President Donald Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, accusing them of reporting "fake news" and threatening more bans on other outlets.
• Legal experts warn the ban likely violates the First Amendment, protecting free speech and press, and could face court challenges for restricting journalists' access.
• Trump's actions come amid low approval ratings and upcoming elections, continuing his pattern of confronting the media and altering White House press relations.

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on Sept 18 that he was banning three major news outlets – CNN, MS NOW and Politico – from the White House, in his latest threat to the independent press.

The move is almost certain to face legal challenges, as free speech experts say it conflicts with the US Constitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.

Trump accused the outlets of “reporting fake news” in a social media post, and said they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies when they’re covering the President of the United States”.

“Other fake news media outlets to follow,” he added.

Representatives of all three outlets could be seen working at the White House on the afternoon of Sept 18 following Trump’s post.

The White House was informing all three outlets that they would be banned from the White House grounds from Sept 19, Fox News reported, citing an unnamed senior White House official.

Trump said there was no specific incident that prompted the ban, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “It’s really just cumulative stories over the past few years.

“I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house.”

When asked what he meant by others “to follow”, Trump mentioned The New York Times and The Washington Post, which he described as “fake news”.

The extent of the ban announced by Trump was not immediately clear, and the legality of any move could depend on its scope.

Courts have given presidents broad discretion over selective access to events such as Oval Office meetings and small press pools, while broader exclusions from generally available White House press facilities or credentials could face stronger challenges under the First Amendment and constitutional protections for due process.

Trump’s move came weeks ahead of the Nov 3 midterm election in which his fellow Republicans are defending narrow majorities in Congress.

Reuters/Ipsos polls show the public souring on Republicans, as Trump’s own approval ratings are near historic lows amid the deeply unpopular Iran war, which has sent energy prices soaring.

Decades of tradition

The Trump administration has upended decades of tradition in dealings between the White House and the press, cutting back access for many major news organisations to the President while elevating the presence of new media outlets seen as more sympathetic to the administration.

CNN, in a statement, said it stands behind its journalists who cover the White House.

“We have a right under the US Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” it said.

“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 social media platform 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 Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement: “It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticising the government.”

Jameel Jaffer, executive director of Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, said the First Amendment prohibits the President from punishing journalists because he does not like their coverage.

“If President Trump means to expel these news organisations 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.

Tabloid history

Trump rose to fame as a New York developer skilled at getting the city’s tabloid newspapers to cover his social life, and went on to build his profile as a reality television personality before making a serious push into politics.

Since his successful 2016 campaign, Trump has regularly criticised the press, stepping up his complaints during his second term in office.

He has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy or news programmes he dislikes, or that have joked about or criticised him or his administration, and called on the Federal Communications Commission to strip broadcast stations he disfavours of their licences.

Trump has filed several lawsuits against the press, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the BBC and The Des Moines Register.

The suits can have a chilling effect. His defamation suits against ABC and CBS were settled for US$15 million (S$19 million) and US$16 million, respectively.

In his first term, Trump’s White House sought to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem and CNN’s Jim Acosta, but federal judges ordered their White House press passes restored.

Since returning to the presidency in January 2025, Trump has openly badgered reporters, particularly those from US television networks.

In 2025, he banned The Associated Press from the usual pool of reporters covering his movements because the news agency did not adopt Trump’s preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico, which he had instructed executive branch employees to refer to as the Gulf of America. REUTERS