Trump bans CNN, Politico and MS NOW from White House grounds

Reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW were turned away from the White House on Saturday following President Donald Trump's announcement that the three outlets would be barred from the premises. Trump posted on his social-media platform on Friday that he was prohibiting the outlets because of what he described as "fiction and lies" in their coverage, and warned that other media could face similar action.

A Bloomberg News reporter asked Trump at a press conference whether the ban was intended to intimidate the press. He replied, "No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you're terrible," and added that the outlets deliberately publish negative stories to undermine Republicans.

MS NOW said a reporter was stopped at the gate and asked to surrender a badge that had been deactivated, while a producer from the same outlet was allowed entry. The outlet said it would defend its First Amendment rights. CNN reporter Betsy Klein, who has covered the White House since the Obama administration, reported that a Secret Service agent took her badge and could not explain the deactivation. Politico’s Cheyenne Haslett was also denied entry, prompting the outlet’s global editor-in-chief to affirm support for the journalists and their constitutional rights.

White House Correspondents' Association President Jacqui Heinrich reminded that constitutional protections for a free press do not depend on presidential approval. First Amendment attorney Theodore Boutrous described the ban as likely unconstitutional.