Updated September 19, 2026 at 11:05 AM CDT
WASHINGTON— Reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico on Saturday said they were denied access to White House grounds after President Trump announced a ban on the three media outlets.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday he was banning these outlets from the White House, citing negative coverage of his administration and saying media outlets shouldn't be able to constantly report "FICTION and LIES" when they cover the president of the United States. He warned other news outlets would follow. It's Trump's latest move in an ongoing battle against the media.
On Friday afternoon, a Bloomberg News reporter asked Trump about the ban at a press conference and whether he was trying to intimidate the press. "No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you're terrible," Trump responded.
He also said: "They purposely write negative news, and they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration." Trump said there was no specific news story that led to his decision, instead it was a frustration that had built up over the last two years.
On Saturday morning, MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, said in a statement on X that their journalists were unable to access the White House grounds. MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said on air that she was denied access to the White House, and an officer asked her to "hand over" her badge because it was "disabled."
"I asked why I was not able to get inside," Gardner said. "He said it was above him."
However, Gardner said an MS NOW producer was able to access the grounds. MS NOW said they will continue to report on the president.
"The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars," MS NOW said in their statement. "MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy."
CNN reporter Betsy Klein said she was also denied access Saturday morning. Klein said she has been covering the White House in some capacity since the Obama administration, but on Saturday morning a Secret Service agent took her badge.
"I asked him if he could provide an explanation as to why it had been deactivated. He said he had no further information," Klein said. She said she was referred to the White House press office.
CNN said in a statement on X Saturday that they have "a right under the U.S. Constitution" to report without interference from the government.
"We will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account, and we will continue to report on the actions and processes of this administration without fear our favor."
Politico Global Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger told the newsroom on Saturday that Cheyenne Haslett, a White House reporter, was denied entry to the White House.
"We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. As we said yesterday, we will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights," Greenberger said in a statement shared with NPR.
Trump's announcement comes amid a midterm election season where Democrats have an edge — Trump has faced pushback over his unpopular war in the Middle East, a looming affordability crisis, and threats to demolish the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center.
White House Correspondents' Association President Jacqui Heinrich said Friday that "the Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference."
"That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization's coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask," she said.
Theodore Boutrous, a leading First Amendment lawyer in the U.S., told NPR that the ban is, on its face, unconstitutional.
Last year, Trump barred an Associated Press reporter from covering two official events because the news service did not refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. During his first term, Trump also barred a CNN reporter. Courts have backed the media both times, but the AP ruling is still being appealed.
Copyright 2026 NPR