WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump announced on Friday, September 18, 2026, that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would be barred from the White House.
The US president accused the news organisations of publishing false reports and warned that other outlets could face similar restrictions.
Reporters from all three organisations remained at the White House hours after the announcement, and the administration had not publicly explained how or when it would enforce the ban.
No Specific Report Identified
Trump announced the restrictions in a post on Truth Social, citing what he called the outlets’ “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”
He said news organisations should not be permitted to publish what he described as fabricated accounts while covering the president.
Trump also said other unnamed media outlets could be barred.
Speaking to reporters later in the Oval Office, Trump attributed the decision to an accumulation of coverage over several years.
He did not identify a particular article or broadcast that prompted the announcement.
A White House spokesperson provided no additional explanation and referred questions to Trump’s remarks.
The president also repeated an allegation that the federal government had paid Politico an improper $8 million subscription.
The assertion emerged from claims made by the Trump administration in early 2025 about government subscriptions identified by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Politico has denied receiving government subsidies and said payments made by public agencies were for subscriptions purchased through ordinary commercial arrangements.
News Organisations Reject the Ban
CNN said its White House journalists were still working from the complex after Trump’s announcement.
The network defended their reporting and said any government attempt to obstruct it would violate constitutionally protected press rights.
Politico said Trump’s claims about government subsidies were false and had previously been disproved.
Its communications team said the publication would continue covering the administration and would “vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”
MS NOW did not immediately issue a public response.
Jacqui Heinrich, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said the organisation supported the journalists and newsrooms singled out by Trump.
Heinrich noted that Trump had referred to his own proposed action in the Oval Office as a “ban on the free press.”
She said constitutional press protections do not depend on whether a president approves of an outlet’s reporting or the questions asked by its journalists.
She also said restricting access affected more than the professional interests of reporters because White House coverage gives the public an independent account of presidential decisions and policies.
First Amendment Objections
The First Amendment prohibits the government from abridging freedom of speech or of the press.
Press organisations and legal advocates argued that excluding particular outlets because of their coverage would amount to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation described the announcement as retaliation against news organisations for scrutinising the government.
Jonathan Turley, a legal scholar who opposed Trump’s impeachments during his first term, also criticised the decision.
Turley said that although he had previously objected to perceived bias at the three outlets, barring them from the White House would establish a damaging precedent.
Reporters Without Borders said Trump was attempting to control which organisations could cover his administration.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and other Democrats also denounced the announcement as an attack on the First Amendment.
Earlier Battles Over Press Access
The latest dispute follows previous attempts by the Trump administration to restrict journalists or organisations whose coverage it opposed.
Shortly after beginning his second term, Trump barred The Associated Press from certain presidential events, the Oval Office, and Air Force One after the organisation declined to adopt his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico.
The Associated Press sued, and that litigation remains unresolved.
During Trump’s first administration, the White House revoked the credentials of CNN correspondent
Jim Acosta following a contentious news conference. CNN filed a lawsuit, and Acosta’s credentials were later restored.
Trump has also pursued legal actions against the BBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal over reports he considered unfavourable.
His lawsuits against the Times and the Journal were dismissed, while the BBC has asked a court to dismiss the case against it.
The administration had not released written rules implementing the newly announced restrictions by Friday afternoon.
The three organisations therefore continued operating at the White House while preparing to contest any effort to remove their journalists.
