Washington — President Trump said Friday that he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, the latest move by his administration to target media outlets over their reporting.
The president, who posted the announcement on Truth Social, also threatened to take similar action against other outlets.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” he 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. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
During an event on healthcare in the Oval Office shortly after that post, the president was asked how he justifies that move, given his oath to uphold the Constitution.
“Because they’re fake news,” he responded. “I get so tired of reading and seeing fake news.”
Another reporter asked the president why he’s doing this now. The president said there’s “no reason” he’s doing this now.
“It’s really just cumulative stories of the last two years,” he said. “You get sick of it.”
Yet another reporter asked the president if he’s trying to intimidate the press to keep them from doing their jobs. “No, no, no, no,” he responded. “I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you’re terrible.”
The president didn’t clarify how exactly the ban will be applied, but he did say he doesn’t want those outlets in his office, meaning the Oval Office.
As of 4:45 p.m. Friday, journalists from those outlets are still on White House grounds.
The move is sure to draw legal challenges. CBS News has reached out to the White House, Politico, MS NOW and CNN for comment. The White House referred CBS News to the president’s comments in the Oval Office.
“CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” CNN said in a statement. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the president’s ban is “unconstitutional.”
“The First Amendment prohibits the president from punishing journalists because he doesn’t like their coverage, just as it prohibits him from punishing universities because he doesn’t like the courses they offer, or from punishing law firms because he doesn’t like the clients they represent,” Jaffer said in a statement. “… If President Trump means to expel these news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a ‘public forum’ under the First Amendment, which means the president can’t exclude journalists from it on the basis of their viewpoints.”
Last year, the president took steps to bar the Associated Press from White House coverage after the AP refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” prompting the news outlet to sue on First Amendment grounds.
A federal judge in April 2025 ruled the White House must restore the AP’s access to presidential spaces, but a federal appeals court allowed the administration to temporarily ban the AP from smaller restricted spaces. That legal dispute is ongoing.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, the White House attempted to take away then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credential following a tense exchange during a news conference. A federal judge ordered Acosta’s press pass to be restored following a lawsuit from CNN. The White House then restored his pass and dropped the issue.
