After announcing Friday that CNN, MSNBC, and Politico are now banned from White House grounds, the president made clear this is just the beginning. More outlets are on his list.
“Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, putting the mainstream press corps on notice.
The immediate bans, effective Friday, target three organizations Trump has long accused of biased coverage. In his announcement, the president used his trademark nicknames, referring to CNN as “Fake News CNN” and mocking MSNBC as “MSNOW,” claiming the network “recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!”
Trump saved particular fire for Politico, accusing the outlet of benefiting from what he called corrupt government spending under the previous administration.
“The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them ‘alive.’ Seems like corruption to me!” the president wrote.
The move sets up an almost certain legal battle. Last year, District Court Judge Trevor McFadden ruled against the White House when it attempted to block Associated Press reporters and photographers from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other press spaces. That dispute arose after the AP refused to use Trump’s renamed “Gulf of America” in its reporting.
Judge McFadden held that barring the AP reporters was “contrary to the First Amendment.”
Whether that precedent will apply to these new bans remains to be seen. The administration appears ready for the fight.
Trump framed his decision as a matter of holding the press accountable for what he views as dishonest reporting about his administration and the country itself. “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,” he said.
Legal experts expect challenges to come quickly. The First Amendment questions raised by Judge McFadden’s earlier ruling will likely form the basis of any lawsuit. Courts have generally held that the government cannot selectively exclude journalists based on viewpoint, though the boundaries of press access to the White House have never been fully settled.
Trump has made his position clear. He believes outlets that publish what he considers false reporting shouldn’t enjoy the privileges of White House access.
Whether the courts agree will determine how far these bans can go.
