President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday that he is “banning” CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House “effective immediately.”
“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 said in the post.
The president said other outlets would follow.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about healthcare in the Oval Office at the White House, September 18, 2026 in Washington.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
At an event in the Oval Office shortly after his post, the president told reporters he supports a free press, but that “you need a fair and honest press.”
“It’s sick. I mean, there’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stuff. Now, if they want to write them, that’s fine. But I don’t have to let them into my, into the people’s house,” Trump said.
In a statement, CNN said: “CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
In a statement posted on X, Politico said, “POLITICO will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them.”
It also said that Trump’s claim Friday that the outlet received government subsidies “are false and have been thoroughly debunked.”
White House Correspondents Association President Jacqui Heinrich said in a statement, “The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a ‘ban on the free press.'”
“This is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office,” she wrote.
CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes works in the CNN standup booth on the North Lawn of the White House in Washington, September 18, 2026.
Shawn Thew/EPA/Shutterstock
Trump said he decided to make the announcement on Friday citing “cumulative stories.”
It is still unclear what exactly the ban means in practical terms. Reporters from the outlets remained at the White House Friday afternoon and were spotted doing live shots and coming and going, so it appeared their passes had not been revoked.
Trump insisted he’s not trying to intimidate the press. “No, no, no, no,” he said, reiterating “I like to see honest press.”
The White House tried to ban then-CNN reporter Jim Acosta during Trump’s first term. CNN sued to restore Acosta’s press credentials and the White House later dropped its effort.
Earlier in this term, the Trump White House banned The Associated Press from participating in the pool that covers the White House because it refused to comply with his edict renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. That case remains in litigation.
