Trump announces ban on CNN, MSNOW and Politico from White House
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President Donald Trump said he has barred three news outlets from White House coverage, citing what he described as repeated false reporting, while the outlets and press-freedom groups warned the move threatens constitutional rights.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that CNN, MSNOW and Politico are no longer permitted to cover the White House, calling their reporting "constant 'FAKE NEWS'" and "fiction and lies." In a post on his social media platform, Trump warned that other outlets could face similar restrictions, though he did not name any.
The White House did not immediately confirm whether journalists from the three organizations had been removed from the premises. CNN, MSNOW and Politico did not respond to requests for comment. CNN said its team remained on the White House grounds and affirmed its right to report without government interference, citing the First Amendment.
"CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government," the network said.
Trump told a reporter in the Oval Office that the decision resulted from "cumulative stories over the last few years," without citing specific reports. A White House spokesperson directed inquiries to the president's remarks.
The action follows previous disputes between Trump and the press, including an earlier ban on the Associated Press and lawsuits against the BBC, New York Times and Wall Street Journal, some of which have been dismissed. Democrats and press-freedom advocates condemned the announcement as an attack on First Amendment protections.
"This is yet another attack on the First Amendment from a president who knows he and his party of bootlickers are deeply unpopular," Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker wrote on social media.
"It’s difficult to imagine a more blatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets from the People’s House for criticizing the government," a spokesman for the Freedom of the Press Foundation said.