Trump says CNN, MS NOW, Politico banned from White House

US President Donald Trump said he is banning news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing them without specifics of reporting "fiction and lies".

Mr Trump added that "other Fake News Media Outlets" would face a similar fate, but did not say which ones.

"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!" Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network.

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

The US president did not say what had prompted the move but added that "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."

Later in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told reporters: "I think that somebody has a right to keep them away if they're going to write false stories all the time."

It is extremely rare for US presidents to outright bar news outlets from the White House, although Mr Trump banned a CNN reporter in his first term and Richard Nixon put restrictions on The Washington Post over its reporting on the Watergate scandal.

But in his second term, Mr Trump's administration has put stricter controls on reporters, including taking control of which journalists can cover events as part of the "pool" admitted to tight spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.

Last year, Mr Trump barred The Associated Press from some events because of the news agency's decision to continue referring to the "Gulf of Mexico" - and not the "Gulf of America" as decreed by the US president.

The White House has informed all three outlets that they will be banned from the grounds from Saturday, according to Fox News reports.

For the time being, reporters for Politico and CNN were still in the White House press room following Mr Trump's announcement.

Both of the 80-year-old president's White House terms have seen him lash out repeatedly at media whose coverage displeases him.

Mr Trump has filed multiple defamation suits against news outlets, attacked the press on Truth Social and verbally assaulted several reporters.

The US president's surprise announcement comes at a time when his approval ratings are at record lows and his Republican Party risks losing control of Congress in November's midterm elections.

The war in Iran and rising prices, particularly at the gas pump, are among the factors that have contributed to his sinking political fortunes.