President Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on Saturday, confiscating reporters’ badges after accusing the outlets of running “purposely negative stories,” a move widely condemned by major news organizations, First Amendment groups and some high-profile Democrats as an unconstitutional attack on the press.Reporters for the three outlets were denied access Saturday morning.
The administration has not detailed what prompted the decision. Trump made the accusation Friday evening but offered no specifics.
Press freedom groups said the ban was unlikely to survive a court challenge. Condemnation from news outlets was nearly universal, including from competitors of the banned organizations.
“No news organization — or person — should be retaliated against by the government over the words they use,” said Lauren Easton, a spokeswoman for The Associated Press, which sued last year over Trump administration restrictions on White House access. The New York Times, The Washington Post and press associations issued statements calling the ban an attack on free speech and a free press.
Some Fox News figures also objected. Contributor Ari Fleischer said conservatives should “argue and defeat” liberal reporters rather than ban them: “Or one day they’ll ban us.” Contributor Jonathan Turley called barring disfavored media “a terrible precedent and practice.”
Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment. The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future. The…
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) September 19, 2026
Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox News anchor and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said First Amendment protections “do not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage.”
“This is about more than the rights of journalists,” Heinrich added. “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.”
Most high-ranking Republicans and administration officials stayed quiet Saturday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has sought to limit Pentagon access for reporters, said he “fully supports” banning outlets he and Trump have labeled “fake news.”
“They endangered our troops with false stories, leaks, and trafficked in fiction and lies about the President,” Hegseth said, without citing examples. according to The NY Times.
CNN and MSNBC reporters burst into tears outside the White House gate after being banned.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 20, 2026
Here’s 3 reason why their tears mean nothing…
1. Biden already banned hundreds of reporters — mostly center-right — and barely took questions. CNN and MSNBC said nothing.
2. Theses same… pic.twitter.com/bk2MmOQlxY
Conservative podcaster Benny Johnson praised the ban and noted Trump had been barred from social media after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. “No one is infringing on their ability to do reporting,” Johnson posted.