USA · 19 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Trump Bars CNN, MS Now, and Politico Reporters After White House Confiscates Credentials
Trump announced immediate ban on CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House via Truth Social. White House denied entry and credentials were confiscated for reporters from the three outlets.
Trump threatens a ban as 'fake news' vs. later access denial details.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: al Jazeera links the dispute to a specific legal precedent.
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BBC
“Trump says he is banning CNN and Politico from White House US President Donald Trump has announced that he is "immediately" banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera
“Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico have been barred from entering the White House and have had their press credentials deactivated or confiscated”Read the original ↗
BBC leads with the announcement; Al Jazeera leads with credential deactivation.
White House bars outlets
The White House barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from entering the White House grounds after President Donald Trump announced a ban on the three outlets, and the three organizations said their press credentials were confiscated or disabled on Saturday morning. NBC News reported that MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner, CNN reporter Betsy Klein and Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett arrived for work and were denied entry, with their credentials confiscated or disabled.
“MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner, CNN reporter Betsy Klein and Politico reporter Cheyenne Haslett arrived for work at the White House and were denied entry.”
NBC News quoted Trump’s Friday warning that “other outlets” would face similar action, while Trump also accused the outlets of “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.” NBC News said CNN and MS NOW continued coverage after their journalists’ access was revoked, doing live hits from the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street in Washington, across the street from where the press usually enters the White House.
Legal fight and quotes
Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told NBC News that the move was “pretty clearly unconstitutional” and predicted a potential legal challenge would succeed. NBC News reported that the White House Correspondents’ Association called for reporters’ access to be restored, while the three news organizations condemned the restrictions as violating First Amendment protections for a free press.
CNN said the ban was “an illegal assault” on its constitutional rights, and Politico said it would “vigorously defend” its journalists and its First Amendment rights. MS NOW said in a statement posted on X that “MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights,” after an officer asked Gardner to hand over her badge and said it was disabled.
Trump’s rationale and stakes
Trump defended the ban to NBC News, saying, “As the President said, for far too long Fake News outlets have been peddling lies about him and his Administration.” NBC News also reported that a senior White House official acknowledged that many of Trump’s aides, including a number working in the press office, did not know he was planning to enact this ban.
““As the President said, for far too long Fake News outlets have been peddling lies about him and his Administration.””
In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, 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,” and he warned “other outlets” would “follow” without naming them. NBC News said the White House declined to comment further Saturday, referring NBC News to Trump’s previous comments, while CNN and MS NOW continued coverage from outside the White House gates.