Trump bars CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from White House

Newyork,UPDATED: Sep 19, 2026 21:34 IST

Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied access to the White House on Saturday morning after US President Donald Trump said he was banning the organisations over what he called their “fake news” coverage. Reporters from CNN and MS NOW went on air to say they had been stopped, while Politico said its White House reporter was also turned away and had her badge confiscated.

The move marks a further escalation in Trump’s long-running attempts, through administrative action and at times through the courts, to restrict coverage by journalists he objects to. It is also the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States, with the three organisations saying they would defend their rights.

Politico said White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was denied entry shortly after CNN and MS NOW journalists were turned away. Editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger said in a statement to the Politico newsroom: “We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”

CNN and MS NOW issued similar statements. CNN said, “We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account.” The statement was shown on air before senior White House reporter Betsy Klein began reporting on her ban.

MS NOW said it also stood behind its journalists. “The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars,” the network said on Saturday. “MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.”

In his second term, Trump and his administration have stepped up action against certain media outlets, both in court and through regulatory measures. Trump has also attacked individual reporters in person and on social media, at times in sharply personal terms.

Both CNN White House reporter Betsy Klein and MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said they had been barred from entering the White House. Network correspondents are usually present on weekends when the president is in Washington or at nearby Camp David. Trump is at the presidential retreat in Maryland this weekend. Politico journalists are typically not at the White House on Saturdays.

Gardner said she was turned away and her entry badge was confiscated. She said she had passed through two gates, but when her badge had to be scanned, an officer told her it had been disabled and asked her to hand it over. She said the officer told her the decision “was above him”. Gardner also said an MS NOW producer was able to enter, but a photographer’s badge had also been disabled.

Klein, CNN’s senior White House reporter, also said her badge had been deactivated. CNN media analyst Brian Stelter called the move “a direct threat to press freedom in the United States”. “It’s so much bigger than CNN,” Stelter said. “This is a free speech test in America.”

Trump wrote on his social media site on Friday that, effective immediately, “I am banning” CNN, MS NOW and Politico “from the White House as a result of their constant reporting: FAKE NEWS!” Minutes later, when asked at an event in the Oval Office to explain the decision, he said: “Because they’re fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW, it’s fake news.”

He added: “And when you look at Politico ... the stories they wrote are fake. So there’s a lot of news, and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better. But our country has to have honest news.”

The move follows Trump’s decision last year to bar Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other events after the news agency did not follow his lead in changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, which lies partly in Mexican and other waters. AP said it would note where appropriate that Trump had ordered it to be renamed the “Gulf of America”. AP filed a lawsuit and the case is continuing.

Since returning to office, Trump has also pursued legal action against several other outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC. His administration is also involved in a long-running confrontation with ABC over the renewal of its broadcast licences.

Saturday’s denial of entry to CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters has intensified the administration’s confrontation with parts of the media, with the affected organisations saying they will defend their First Amendment rights and continue their White House coverage.

With PTI Inputs

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