𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐍𝐍, 𝐌𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 ‘𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬’ 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬

US President Donald Trump has announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from accessing the White House, accusing the three media organisations of repeatedly publishing what he described as “fake news”.

Trump made the announcement on Friday, September 18, 2026, in a post on Truth Social, where he criticised the outlets’ coverage of his administration and warned that more media organisations could face similar restrictions.

“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MS NOW (who recently changed their named from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them ‘alive.’ Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”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.” Trump wrote on a post.

Trump concluded the post by warning:

“Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

The president later defended the decision while speaking to reporters at the White House, saying he did not want the three organisations inside the building and indicating that the restriction could extend as far as possible.

Reuters reported that Trump said the decision was based on what he described as the outlets’ cumulative coverage rather than one specific report.

The announcement was followed by an actual restriction on access involving MS NOW on Saturday morning.

The network said one of its reporters and a photographer were denied entry to the White House grounds, with their access credentials reportedly disabled and confiscated.

MS NOW condemned the move, saying its journalists would take steps to defend their First Amendment rights and the role of independent journalism.

CNN also rejected Trump’s action and said it stood behind its White House reporting team. The network said it had a constitutional right to report from the White House without government interference.

Politico said it would continue covering the Trump administration and future administrations while defending its First Amendment rights against attempts to restrict its reporting.

Trump also accused Politico of receiving an $8 million government subscription deal under former President Joe Biden and described it as corruption.

Politico disputed that claim, with its communications team saying the allegation was false and had been debunked. The president’s claim about MS NOW’s name was also misleading.

The network changed its name from MSNBC to MS NOW, meaning “My Source for News, Opinion, and the World,” in 2025 as part of its move to a new media company, Versant. The network said the change was not related to the reasons given by Trump.

The latest confrontation follows an earlier dispute between the Trump administration and the Associated Press. In 2025, the White House restricted AP journalists’ access to some presidential events after the news organisation continued using the name “Gulf of Mexico” rather than Trump’s preferred “Gulf of America”.

A federal judge later ruled that the government could not punish AP over the content of its speech, although an appeals court subsequently allowed some restrictions to remain while the case continued.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects freedom of the press, and the latest restrictions are expected to face legal challenges.

AP’s earlier case has already produced conflicting court rulings over how far the White House can go in controlling journalists’ access to the president.

The White House has not publicly detailed the precise legal mechanism for enforcing the new restrictions against all three organisations.

CNN’s access status remained unclear on Saturday, while Politico generally does not have a regular weekend presence at the White House.

The dispute has renewed debate in the United States over presidential control of media access, press freedom and the limits of government authority when dealing with news organisations whose reporting the administration considers unfavourable.