Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House in press access dispute
The US President’s immediate exclusion of three major news outlets from the White House is expected to face a rapid legal challenge under the First Amendment.
US President Donald Trump has banned news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, a decision that takes effect immediately. The move marks a significant escalation in tensions between the executive branch and the press, following earlier restrictions on the Associated Press in February 2025.
The ban was announced on Friday, 18 September 2026, via the President’s social media platform. Trump cited the outlets’ “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” as the primary justification for their removal, accusing them of fabricating stories about his administration and the country. He added that “Other Fake News Media Outlets [will] to follow,” though the specific identities of these future targets remain unspecified.
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reported from Washington that the ban is likely to be challenged, potentially before the end of the day. Fisher noted that the First Amendment of the US Constitution states that the government cannot restrict access to the press, which serves as the primary legal basis for the expected challenge.
The current dispute follows a pattern of escalating restrictions on press access. In February 2025, Trump restricted Associated Press access to the Oval Office and Air Force One in retaliation for the outlet’s refusal to adopt his preferred name change for the Gulf of Mexico. The AP subsequently filed a lawsuit that remains ongoing, providing a legal backdrop for the current situation.
Historical precedents suggest that while other presidents have faced similar press tensions, formal bans are rare. Fisher noted that President Lyndon B. Johnson used to rail about press coverage, while President Richard Nixon considered banning certain individuals from the White House. In both instances, historical accounts indicate they were advised that such moves were “not a good look.”
The immediate effect of the ban means that reporters from the three excluded outlets are currently barred from the White House grounds. The outcome of the anticipated legal challenge will likely determine whether this exclusion becomes a lasting precedent for presidential press relations.
