In short
- US President Donald Trump announced the ban in a post on Truth Social on Friday, saying the outlets report “fiction or lies” about his administration.
- Trump called it a “very simple ban” but did not explain how it would work, and did not say whether staff of the three outlets would be barred from the White House grounds.
- CNN said a ban would be an “illegal assault” on a constitutionally protected right to report without government interference.
- Politico said it would “vigorously defend our First Amendment rights”; MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, declined to comment.
- In February, the administration moved to bar Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One over the outlet’s use of “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”; AP sued and the case is ongoing.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, writing on Truth Social that the outlets report “fiction or lies” about his administration. Trump gave no examples, did not explain how the ban would work, and reporters from CNN and Politico stayed on the White House grounds afterwards.
What did Trump say about the ban?
In the post, Trump said 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”, and added: “Other news outlets to follow.” The post cited no specific stories.
Trump called it a “very simple ban” but did not say whether employees of the three outlets would be barred from entering the White House grounds. Asked in the Oval Office about the timing, he said there was “no reason” for it and described the decision as “really just cumulative stories over the last few years”. He named the New York Times and the Washington Post as “fake news” when asked which outlets might follow.
How have CNN, Politico and MS NOW responded?
CNN said it “stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting” and called a ban illegal: “We have a right under the US Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government.” Should the ban go ahead, CNN said, “it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right”. Politico said it would “continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones” and “vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them”. MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, declined to comment.
Who has criticised the announcement?
White House Correspondents’ Association president Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox News journalist, said the association stood in defence of colleagues “being singled out for doing their jobs”, adding: “It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office.” The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said courts had repeatedly ruled against Trump on the same point, and its executive director, Jameel Jaffer, said expelling the outlets from the press pool would be “doubly unconstitutional” because the pool is a “public forum” under the First Amendment. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said it expected the ban to be struck down as “flatly unconstitutional”.
What is the background to Trump’s disputes with the press?
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump and his administration have repeatedly clashed with the White House press corps, a period that has also included contested measures abroad, among them a security deal with Denmark over Greenland announced after Trump’s threats. In February, the White House said it would take control of the press pool that has access to Trump, managed for more than a century by the White House Correspondents’ Association.
The same month, the administration moved to bar Associated Press reporters and photographers from limited-access spaces including the Oval Office and Air Force One over the outlet’s use of “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”; AP sued and the case is ongoing. In his first term, Trump banned CNN correspondent Jim Acosta from the White House, and his credentials were restored after CNN sued. Other measures under Trump’s second term include visa limits on South African applicants.
Frequently asked questions
Did Trump ban CNN and Politico from the White House?
Trump announced on Truth Social that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. He did not explain how the ban would work, and reporters from CNN and Politico were still on the White House grounds shortly after the announcement.
What did CNN say about the ban?
CNN said it stands fully behind its White House team and their fair and accurate reporting, and that a ban would be an illegal assault on a constitutionally protected right to report without government interference.
Who is Jacqui Heinrich?
Jacqui Heinrich is the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association and works for Fox News. She said the association defended colleagues who were being singled out for doing their jobs.
What happened between the White House and the Associated Press?
In February, the administration moved to bar AP reporters and photographers from limited-access spaces including the Oval Office and Air Force One because the outlet used “Gulf of Mexico” rather than “Gulf of America”. AP filed a lawsuit and the case is ongoing.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)