Trump White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico faces First Amendment test

Newyork,UPDATED: Sep 23, 2026 23:22 IST

A court in Washington is set to hear arguments on Wednesday in a case over US President Donald Trump's decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds. The three outlets have sued, saying the move violates the First Amendment, while the administration says it has the authority to decide who is allowed into the White House.

In a court filing late Tuesday, the administration said, "Access to the White House is a privilege - not a right," and argued that the reporting of the three organisations posed a threat to national security. Trump had earlier focused on what he called negative coverage and "fake news", but on Tuesday he also began stressing the national security argument.

The filing said the ban did not violate the constitutional guarantee of a free press. Administration lawyers argued that the outlets had breached the "standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House complex, including by trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues and publishing sensitive or classified information".

The administration said letters sent to each outlet listed "a non-exhaustive list of reporting incidents, including those that have threatened national security and spread falsehoods". Among the examples cited were CNN's report on "top-secret" construction details related to the East Wing bunker, MS NOW's report on "an alleged leak investigation", and Politico's publication of "a document detailing funding for the White House ballroom containing intricate descriptions of how the Secret Service would invest in security improvements".

Politico's letter, the filing said, listed six reporting incidents, including a June report that quoted a "senior administration official ... granted anonymity" on whether a preliminary deal would end the conflict with Iran. That appeared to refer to a background briefing arranged by the White House itself, where an official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity under White House ground rules. Several other outlets also reported the remarks.

Trump defended the ban at the United Nations on Tuesday, saying, "I think we have a right to clean out fake news." The ban was announced on Friday, and the next day journalists from the three outlets found that their entry badges had been disabled. On Monday, the outlets filed a joint lawsuit alleging they were singled out because of the content of their coverage, calling it a "blatant violation" of the First Amendment and asking the court to restore their access immediately.

Other media organisations also responded. The five-network US television press pool, of which CNN is a member, decided to suspend coverage of Trump's events until further notice. The Associated Press also joined a group of organisations that did not publish photographs of the president on Monday. On Wednesday, the network pool was again absent from the daily White House press schedule.

The ban and the lawsuit come amid a long-running conflict between Trump and media organisations he sees as unfavourable, especially in his second term. The administration's court filing also used historical examples to argue that presidents can decide which reporters receive favourable treatment. It said President Theodore Roosevelt invited reporters into the Oval Office for off-the-record briefings during his midday shave and used the sessions to reward and punish journalists, while President John F Kennedy gave certain correspondents special access and advance notice of announcements.

At the heart of Wednesday's hearing is whether the White House can bar the three outlets from its grounds on the grounds cited by the administration, or whether the move amounts to unconstitutional discrimination based on their reporting and viewpoint.

With PTI Inputs

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