US President Donald Trump has announced an immediate ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the three news organisations of repeatedly publishing what he described as “fiction and lies” about his administration.
Trump announced the move in a post on Truth Social on Friday, but did not specify the reports he considered false or explain how the restriction would be implemented.
“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,” he wrote.
He also accused Politico of receiving “an illegal and ridiculous $8 million subscription” from the US government during the administration of former President Joe Biden. Politico has denied the allegation.
Despite Trump’s announcement, journalists from the three organisations were still working at the White House on Friday.
CNN also reported that members of its television pool team were travelling with Vice President JD Vance when Trump announced the ban.
CNN rejected the move, saying it had a right to report from the White House without government interference.
The network described the proposed restriction as an “illegal assault” on press freedom and said it stood behind its White House journalists and their “fair and accurate reporting.”
“Should the ban, which President Trump threatened, go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally protected right,” CNN said.
Politico also said it would continue covering the Trump administration and defend its constitutional rights.
The US National Press Club criticised the move, saying that excluding news organisations because of disagreement with their coverage amounted to an attempt to control which journalists could witness and report on presidential activities.
Trump’s latest announcement follows other disputes between his administration and major US news organisations over access to the White House and other government facilities.
In January 2025, the administration barred Associated Press journalists from parts of the White House, including the Oval Office and Air Force One. The AP subsequently sued to restore its access, with the case still in litigation.
In April 2025, Reuters and Bloomberg News lost their permanent positions in the small press pool covering the president.
The White House also removed a Wall Street Journal reporter from the press pool for Trump’s trip to Scotland in July following the newspaper’s reporting on Jeffrey Epstein.
In September, the Pentagon introduced a policy requiring journalists to agree not to report certain unauthorised information or risk losing their press credentials.