Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW, Politico From White House

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied White House entry and had credentials seized after Trump announced a ban over their coverage.

Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were physically denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday, September 19, and had their press credentials deactivated or confiscated. President Trump had announced the ban on Truth Social the day before, accusing the three outlets of reporting what he called "FICTION and LIES" about his administration. The administration has offered no specific story as the trigger, with Trump instead citing a frustration that had built up over the last two years.

MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said an officer asked her to hand over her badge because it was "disabled," and that when she asked why she could not enter, she was told it was "above him." CNN's Betsy Klein, who has covered the White House since the Obama administration, said a Secret Service agent took her badge with no explanation. Politico said the Secret Service denied reporter Cheyenne Haslett entry and confiscated her pass, while an MS NOW photographer also had a badge disabled.

First Amendment advocates and news organizations say the ban is flatly unconstitutional. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said it expects the ban to be struck down quickly, with president Bruce Brown stating the First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists it cannot ban others over coverage it dislikes. Knight First Amendment Institute director Jameel Jaffer called the action doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a "public forum." The 1977 ruling Sherrill v. Knight held that access cannot be denied arbitrarily once press facilities exist.

All three targeted outlets said they would continue reporting and defend their First Amendment rights. CNN called the ban "an illegal assault" on constitutionally protected reporting; Politico pledged to vigorously defend its rights; and MS NOW said "the White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars." WHCA president Jacqui Heinrich urged the administration to immediately restore access, warning the standard used against one outlet could be applied to any other in the future.

The ban is expected to be challenged in court soon, following the path of the administration's earlier AP restriction over the "Gulf of America" naming dispute, a case a federal judge ruled against and which remains on appeal. CNN media analyst Brian Stelter framed the confrontation as "a free speech test in America," one that will test the White House's power to curate who covers the presidency.