Donald Trump has just escalated his war with the press, announcing that CNN, MS NOW and Politico are being barred from the White House—and warning that other outlets could soon be next.
As his popularity continues to slide ahead of the midterm elections, the president is once again using the White House as a weapon against media he dislikes, announcing Friday that the outlets would be banned from the White House “effective immediately.”
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant “reporting” FAKE NEWS!” he posted on Truth Social.
“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. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The announcement represents another escalation in the president’s extraordinary second-term campaign to punish news organizations he believes are insufficiently friendly to his administration.
Last year, the White House restricted AP reporters from presidential events, including the Oval Office and Air Force One, after they refused to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
The White House also rewrote the rules governing the presidential press pool, reducing the traditional role of the White House Correspondents’ Association and giving the press secretary greater control over which outlets get access, favoring MAGA-friendly organizations.
Asked for a response to the ban, CNN pushed back in a statement, saying it “stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting.” The Daily Beast has also reached out to MS NOW and Politico.
“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,” CNN said.
Trump’s attempt to pressure the media has extended beyond physical access.
He has also urged the federal government to stop funding NPR and PBS, accusing the outlets of producing biased coverage; threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC, NBC, and CNN after they declined to carry one of his prime-time speeches live; and has repeatedly attacked female reporters with vile insults.
For instance, CNN star Kaitlan Collins was branded the “worst reporter” and accused of “not smiling” enough; ABC News’ Mary Bruce was a “terrible” person for asking about the Epstein files; and Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucy was told “quiet, piggy!” for her questions about the child sex offender.
The new White House ban comes as Trump heads into the midterm elections with his public approval at or near historic lows—something the media continues to report, much to the president’s rage.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week put Trump’s overall approval at just 35 percent, only slightly above the record-low 33 percent recorded in late August.
Asked in the Oval Office about his ban, Trump doubled down, saying he was sick of having to see and read negative stories about himself when he believed he had accomplished so much.
“I mean, there’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories. Now, if they want to write them, that’s fine. But I don’t have to let them into my...,” he said before correcting himself, “into the People’s House.”
The president attempted a similar ban against CNN during his first term but was overruled by the courts. Asked how this might be different, he said it would depend on the judge.
“To be honest with you, I don’t think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day,” he said.
Others, however, were outraged by the latest attack on the free press and the public’s right to know.
“The entire White House press pool should protest Trump’s decision to kick out certain reporters by refusing — in solidarity — to leave the building tonight,” said former Trump administration national security official Miles Taylor said.
“It’s the People’s house, not his. We have a right to know what’s going on there.”
