Trump Announces Ban of CNN, Politico and MS Now From White House

President Donald Trump shows a Breitbart printout as he speaks about healthcare in the Oval Office of the White House on the afternoon of September 18, 2026, when he announced a ban on three news organizations from the White House —Jim Watson—AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump announced on Friday he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, setting up a new test of the First Amendment’s protection of a free press as his Administration moves to punish news organizations whose coverage he dislikes.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump accused the three outlets of repeatedly publishing “FAKE NEWS” and warned that other news organizations could face similar restrictions.

“Effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW... and Politico... from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” Trump wrote.

“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.” Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office later, Trump said there were no particular stories that prompted the decision.

“It's really just cumulative stories over the last few years, you get sick of it,” he said.

“They purposely write negative news, and they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.” It was not immediately clear whether the White House would enforce the prohibition.

Despite Trump’s announcement that the ban was effective immediately, reporters from CNN remained at the White House on Friday and continued covering the Administration More recently, Trump barred reporters from The Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other events with limited space after the news organization declined to update their widely used stylebook to adopt his preferred name, “ Gulf of America,” for the body of water long known as the Gulf of Mexico.

The Associated Press sued, and the case remains ongoing.

The uncertainty could set up another legal confrontation over the boundaries of presidential control over access to the White House and the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of the press.

The First Amendment protects freedom of the press, a principle intended to allow news organizations to scrutinize those in power without government retaliation for their reporting.