'You should not be here': Trump tells CNN at UN as standoff with media outlets persists

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President Donald Trump speaks to the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters. | Photo Credit: AP

On a day of high-stakes diplomacy on the global stage, U.S. President Donald Trump began his United Nations visit by telling a prominent U.S. journalist, “You should not be here.”

“It's an honour to be here,” Mr. Trump said as he entered the UN doors on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) ahead of his speech to the General Assembly and faced Kaitlan Collins of CNN , a frequent target of his ire.

“I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me. You should not be here covering me. You said you weren't going to cover me.”

As Ms Collins noted later on air, CNN said nothing like that. The administration had banned CNN from White House grounds days earlier — along with MS NOW and Politico — and removed the network from pool duty. But CNN had been admitted into the UN as regularly credentialed media.

In any case, the tense moment was a stark reminder of how dramatically the bitter conflict between Mr. Trump and news outlets whose coverage he objects to as “fake news" has escalated in just a few days.

The current ban was the subject of a joint lawsuit filed Monday (September 21, 2026) by the three outlets, asking a judge to find the administration's move unconstitutional.

The White House had until Tuesday (September 22, 2026) to respond, and a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday (September 23, 2026) afternoon.

Later Tuesday (September 22, 2026), Mr. Trump doubled down on his remarks and said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.

Asked whether he would allow the outlets back in if the court rules against the White House, he said, “Well, it probably will, because this is a judge who's not a particularly fair judge.”

He was referring to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom he appointed in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist's access restored in a similar case in 2018.

“So you never know,” Mr. Trump added. "I think we have a right to clean out fake news."

Mr. Trump's comments echoed others he's made since announcing the ban on Friday (September 18, 2026). He has referred to “purposely negative stories,” but cited no specific stories — only generally “fake news” — as justification for the ban.