WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Friday announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing false reports about his administration.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social but did not identify specific reports that prompted the decision or explain how the restrictions would be enforced.
Later in the Oval Office, Trump described it as a “very simple ban” and said the decision followed what he called years of cumulative coverage. He also suggested that other outlets could face similar action, naming The New York Times and The Washington Post when asked which organizations might be next.
The immediate impact of the announcement remained unclear. Reporters from CNN and Politico were still on White House grounds shortly afterward, while a CNN crew was traveling with Vice President JD Vance to and from an event in Iowa.
CNN condemned the move, saying it stood behind its White House team and its reporting. The network argued that any government action aimed at restricting its reporting would violate constitutionally protected press freedoms.
Politico also rejected the announcement and said it would continue covering the current and future White House administrations while defending its First Amendment rights. MS NOW, formerly known as MSNBC, declined to comment.
The White House Correspondents’ Association also defended the affected journalists. Its president, Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, said the issue extended beyond journalists’ access, arguing that Americans have a right to receive independent accounts of presidential policies and decisions.
The announcement drew criticism from press-freedom and legal organizations, which questioned whether the administration could restrict access based on the content or viewpoint of a news organization’s reporting.
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said excluding outlets from the White House press pool because of their viewpoints would raise serious constitutional concerns. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press similarly said it expected such restrictions to face legal challenges.
The latest dispute comes after a series of confrontations between the Trump administration and news organizations over White House access.
In February 2025, the administration restricted Associated Press reporters and photographers from certain areas, including the Oval Office and Air Force One, after the organization continued using “Gulf of Mexico” rather than the administration’s preferred “Gulf of America.” The AP challenged the restrictions in court, and the case remains ongoing.
Trump also barred CNN correspondent Jim Acosta from the White House during his first term in 2018. CNN challenged the decision in court, and Acosta’s press credentials were later restored.
CNN is among the small group of news organizations that provides video coverage for the White House press pool, which allows one outlet to share material from presidential events with other media organizations.
Trump has continued to criticize major news outlets during his second term and has pursued legal action against several organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the BBC. Some of those disputes have resulted in multimillion-dollar settlements, while other cases remain unresolved.
Trump said Friday that additional news organizations could be targeted, but he did not announce further restrictions. It also remains unclear whether the latest action would affect White House grounds access, press credentials, presidential events or participation in the press pool.
