President Donald Trump announced Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the news organizations of repeatedly publishing what he described as false and unfair coverage.
Trump revealed the decision in a Truth Social post before discussing it with reporters later in the Oval Office. The announcement appeared to catch journalists from the affected organizations by surprise, with reporters saying they had received no advance warning.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” he added.
Reuters and The Associated Press independently confirmed Trump’s announcement Friday. It remained unclear immediately after the declaration exactly how broadly the restrictions would be enforced or whether reporters from the three organizations would lose all access to the White House complex, press briefings and presidential events.
CNN personnel continued operating from the White House after Trump’s announcement, Reuters reported, adding uncertainty over how quickly the new policy would take effect.
Asked why he made the decision now, Trump told reporters there was no single event that prompted it. Instead, he described it as the result of a “cumulation of stories over the past few years” that had frustrated him.
“Maybe they can get better, and we’d like to have them in,” Trump said. “Somebody has got to keep them away.”
Trump also suggested additional news organizations could face similar treatment.
When asked which outlets might be targeted next, the president criticized The New York Times and The Washington Post, calling both “fake news” and “crummy papers.”
“We’re probably not going to display the paper anymore in the White House,” Trump said, while adding that his administration had not yet taken the step of removing their reporters.
CNN and Politico said they would defend their journalists’ First Amendment rights and oppose unlawful efforts to restrict their access, according to the AP.
The announcement is expected to generate legal challenges over whether the government may restrict White House press access based on an outlet’s coverage. Reuters reported that free-speech specialists questioned whether such restrictions would comply with First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and the press.
The dispute follows an earlier confrontation between the Trump administration and The Associated Press.
The White House restricted AP access to some presidential events in 2025 after the news organization declined to adopt Trump’s preferred “Gulf of America” terminology in all of its reporting. The AP subsequently sued, and the legal battle over White House press access remained ongoing as of Friday.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with major media organizations during his second term, including CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other outlets.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first administration, defended the president’s demand for what he considers fair coverage while also acknowledging the importance of press freedom, per the Daily Mail.
“I think it’s hard for you to argue against a free press when you’re in the Oval Office asking questions of the President of the United States,” Sanders said. She added that Trump was also entitled to ask reporters to be “honest and fair.”
As of Friday evening, the White House had not publicly released detailed written procedures explaining how the bans would be implemented.
