By SCM International Desk I Friday, Sept 18, 2026
WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump announced on Friday that his administration is immediately banning journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from covering events at the White House, escalating an intense campaign against traditional news organizations and inviting immediate First Amendment challenges.
Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Mr. Trump accused the three news outlets of consistently disseminating false stories about his administration.
He singled out MS NOW—referencing its recent rebranding from MSNBC—and alleged without evidence that Politico had improperly received government funding under the previous administration. In his post, the president warned that the exclusions were only a first step, writing that other outlets could soon face similar restrictions.
”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,” Mr. Trump wrote, adding that additional “Fake News Media Outlets” would follow.
The order marks one of the most severe restrictions placed on established press organizations at the White House in modern presidential history. While press credentials have periodically been challenged or revoked for individual journalists during past disputes, barring entire major news networks and digital publications from the executive mansion represents an unprecedented institutional boundary.
First Amendment experts and media law advocates said the presidential decree would likely face swift challenge in federal court. Constitutional scholars noted that while the White House retains broad latitude to manage press logistics, the courts have historically prohibited the executive branch from denying access to specific news outlets based on the content or viewpoint of their coverage.
”The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can’t ban others because it doesn’t like their reporting,” legal scholars have emphasized regarding executive press credentials, characterizing content-based bans as viewpoint discrimination that violates constitutional protections.
The announcement builds upon a series of moves by the administration to alter long-standing conventions surrounding executive coverage.
Since taking office, the administration has asserted greater control over the composition of pool coverage, curtailed traditional briefing room access, and engaged in public feuds with major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Associated Press.
Disputes over press logistics have extended to other departments in Washington. At the Pentagon, revised press policies regarding media access led to widespread pushback from news agencies earlier in the presidential term, resulting in federal court scrutiny over press freedoms inside executive agencies.
Presidents have clashed with reporters since the early days of the republic, but the modern press credentialing system at the White House was designed to ensure independent access regardless of editorial perspective.
A landmark ruling in 2018 established that the White House must provide due process before revoking a journalist’s hard pass, a precedent set after the administration attempted to strip credentials from a network reporter.
Representing the targeted organizations, newsroom leaders signaled that they were reviewing their legal options, emphasizing that independent press coverage of the executive branch is vital to public transparency and protected under federal law.