Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico From the White House

President Trump said on September 18, 2026 that he was "banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, posting on Truth Social that the outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES" and warning other outlets would follow. He cited no specific report, saying only the move stemmed from "cumulative stories over the last few years," and claimed the government paid an "illegal" $8 million Politico subscription, which the outlet called false. MS NOW said its journalists were denied White House access the next morning; CNN said its reporters remained on-site.

The move extends a pattern of press restrictions, including litigation over the AP's exclusion from the Oval Office after it declined to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico each vowed to defend their First Amendment rights, and White House Correspondents' Association president Jacqui Heinrich noted Trump had called it "a ban on the free press." The administration had not detailed enforcement as of Friday.