‘Fake news’ media outlets: Trump bans CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House

US President Donald Trump has barred three major news organisations CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, the latest in a string of clashes with the independent press.

The ban is expected to be challenged in court. Legal experts say it runs up against the First Amendment, which protects free speech and a free press under the US Constitution.

Why has Trump banned these outlets?

Trump accused the three organisations of pushing false stories, saying in a social media post that they should not be allowed to keep reporting what he called “FICTION and LIES” about him. He also signalled that more outlets could be barred in future.

“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.” pic.twitter.com/jcRja0oj2d — The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2026

Staff from all three organisations were still working inside the White House on Friday afternoon when Trump’s post went up. The White House later told the outlets they would be shut out of the grounds from Saturday, according to a report by Fox News citing a senior official.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that no single incident triggered the ban, describing it instead as a build-up of years of coverage he disagreed with. He also said he did not have to give the outlets access to what he called the people’s house.

“I don’t want them in my office. I don’t want them here,” President Trump echoed his media outlet ban aimed at CNN, MS NOW and Politico that he issued Friday while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. The president barred the outlets from reporting at the White House… pic.twitter.com/nkFmUG8Dot — CBS News (@CBSNews) September 18, 2026

When pushed on which other outlets might face bans, Trump named the New York Times and the Washington Post.

How have the outlets responded?

CNN said it stood by its reporters and insisted it had a constitutional right to cover the White House without government interference. The network warned that going ahead with the ban would amount to an unlawful attack on that right.

Politico said it planned to keep covering the administration fairly and would defend its constitutional rights if challenged.

MS NOW did not comment.

What does the law say about presidential control over press access?

Courts have generally given presidents wide discretion over who gets into smaller, more selective settings such as Oval Office meetings or limited press pools. But cutting outlets off from the wider White House press facilities or credentials is a different matter, and could face a tougher legal fight under First Amendment and due-process protections, according to Reuters.

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Press freedom advocates argue the ban goes too far. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation said it would be hard to find a clearer case of the government punishing journalists for critical coverage.

Jameel Jaffer, who heads the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, argued that the White House press pool counts as a public forum, meaning the president cannot lawfully exclude journalists based on their point of view.

Trump has a long history of friction with the media, stretching back to his days as a New York property developer chasing tabloid coverage. Since returning to office in January 2025, he has pushed broadcasters to drop programmes he dislikes, called on regulators to pull licences from unfriendly stations, and filed lawsuits against outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the BBC and the Des Moines Register some of which have settled for tens of millions of dollars.

In his first term, attempts to strip press credentials from a Playboy correspondent and a CNN reporter were overturned by federal judges. Last year, the Associated Press (AP) was dropped from the regular press pool after it declined to use Trump’s preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico.

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The latest ban lands weeks before the 3 November midterm elections, with Trump’s approval ratings low and public opinion souring on his party amid an unpopular war with Iran that has pushed up energy prices.