By SCM International Desk I Saturday, Sept 19, 2026
WASHINGTON — Senator Bernie Sanders issued a fiery call to action following President Donald J. Trump’s decision to ban journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from entering White House grounds.
Characterizing the move as an escalation toward authoritarian control, Sanders warned that the administration’s actions pose an existential threat to First Amendment protections and American constitutional democracy.
“When demagogues like Trump are in trouble, they want to control the flow of information and silence media that might hold them accountable,” Sanders said in a public statement. “We will not allow Trump to undermine the First Amendment, the Constitution, and our democracy. We will not accept authoritarianism. Fight back.”
The Vermont independent’s remarks follow an announcement posted to Truth Social, where President Trump declared that reporters from the three major news outlets would be barred effective immediately over what he described as a long-standing pattern of “fake news” and “fiction”. In subsequent Oval Office remarks, Trump indicated the decision was driven by the “cumulative stories” published by those outlets.
The White House also signaled that additional news organizations, explicitly naming The New York Times and The Washington Post, could be next to lose physical access to press facilities.