USA · 19 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW, and Politico From White House, Denies Reporters Entry
Trump bans CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House with immediate effect. White House denied entry and confiscated reporters' press credentials Saturday.
Reported immediate details of the access action.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: a key legal precedent is Sherrill v Knight.
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AlterNet
“Let's remember that earlier he defined ‘fake news’ as purposely negative stories.”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera foregrounds Trump’s statements; AlterNet editorialises “fake news” as negative-only.
Trump bars White House press
President Donald Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, and on Saturday the White House refused entry to journalists from the three outlets and deactivated or confiscated their press credentials.
“MS NOW, CNN, Politico reporters barred from White House after Trump announces ban”
ABC News reported that a CNN reporter and photographer were turned away at a White House security booth, and the CNN photographer told ABC News that their passes were confiscated as he and the reporter exited the booth.
In a statement, CNN said it has "a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right."
Trump framed the move as a response to coverage he said was false, telling reporters at the Oval Office that "you need a fair and honest press."
Badges seized, legal fight
Multiple outlets described journalists being turned away from the White House grounds on Saturday after Trump’s Friday announcement, with Reuters cited in Aajil saying the three organizations’ press credentials had been seized in the morning as their journalists headed to the White House.
Aajil reported that CNN described the ban as an "unlawful assault" on its constitutional right to do journalism without interference from the government, while MSNBC and Politico said they would "defend our First Amendment rights".
The Al Jazeera report said correspondents from the barred outlets were reporting live from outside the White House gates and that their entry credentials were seized, including those of CNN and MSNBC reporters, as well as a Politico reporter.A
Al Jazeera also quoted CNN media analyst Brian Stelter calling the move "a direct threat to press freedom in the United States," adding, "This is a free speech test in America."A
First Amendment stakes
The dispute quickly became a constitutional fight over access to the White House press pool, with Al Jazeera citing Knight First Amendment Institute executive director Jameel Jaffer saying the action raises constitutional concerns.
“"doubly unconstitutional"”
Jaffer said in a news release that if Trump expels the news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is "doubly unconstitutional" because the press pool is a "public forum" under the First Amendment.
Al Jazeera also quoted Freedom of the Press Foundation chief of advocacy Seth Stern saying, "It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticizing the government."A
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the White House did not immediately comment on the reporters’ access being denied, as Jacqui Heinrich of the White House Correspondents’ Association criticized the revocation and called for it to be restored.