WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that he plans to bar reporters from MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House, escalating a long-running feud between the administration and news organizations he has repeatedly accused of biased coverage. The announcement, made in remarks to reporters and later reiterated on social media, did not include a specific timeline for when the restrictions would take effect.
Trump told reporters the three outlets have “treated me and this administration very unfairly” and said the White House would no longer credential their correspondents for briefings, press pool coverage or other official events. MS NOW is the rebranded successor to MSNBC, which spun off from Comcast’s NBCUniversal last year and relaunched under new ownership.
What Trump Said
Speaking outside the Oval Office, Trump named all three outlets specifically, according to multiple reporters present. He accused CNN and MS NOW of running what he called “fake news” segments and criticized Politico for its coverage of his administration’s policy rollouts.
“They don’t report the truth, they never have, and we’re not going to give them access to this building anymore,” Trump said, according to a pool report.
White House officials have not detailed how the ban would be implemented or whether it would apply only to physical access to the building or extend to press pool rotations that all major outlets participate in on a rotating basis.
Outlets Respond
Spokespeople for CNN, MS NOW and Politico each issued statements defending their coverage and signaling they would examine legal options if the ban is formalized. CNN said in a statement that it “stands by its reporting” and called any attempt to bar credentialed journalists “a direct threat to the free press.” Politico’s editor-in-chief said the outlet would “continue to cover the White House aggressively and fairly, regardless of access.”
MS NOW did not immediately respond to requests for comment, though a network anchor addressed the announcement on air, calling it “an attack on independent journalism.”
Precedent and Legal Questions
This is not the first time the Trump administration has moved to restrict media access. In 2025, the White House limited Associated Press reporters’ access to certain events after a dispute over the AP’s refusal to adopt the administration’s preferred terminology for the Gulf of Mexico. That dispute led to a federal lawsuit, with a judge ultimately ruling that the administration could not use access as retaliation for editorial decisions.
Press freedom organizations, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the White House Correspondents’ Association, quickly condemned Friday’s announcement. The Correspondents’ Association said in a statement that “access to the White House cannot be used as a cudgel against outlets whose coverage a president dislikes” and called on the administration to reverse course.
Legal experts say any formal ban would likely face a First Amendment challenge similar to the AP case. Courts have generally held that while the White House has discretion over the size of its press pool, it cannot deny access specifically because of a journalist’s or outlet’s editorial content once a broader class of press has been granted access.
Part of a Broader Pattern
The announcement comes amid a string of confrontations between the administration and institutions it views as adversarial. Earlier this year, a federal judge again blocked an effort to attach Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, one of several legal setbacks the administration has faced this year involving cultural and media institutions.
Trump has for years sparred publicly with CNN and MSNBC, frequently labeling their coverage as biased, and has clashed with Politico over reporting on his administration’s personnel and policy decisions. Friday’s announcement marks one of the most direct attempts yet to formally restrict specific outlets’ physical access to the White House complex, rather than simply criticizing their coverage.
What Happens Next
As of Friday evening, none of the three outlets had been formally denied entry, and it remained unclear whether the White House press office would issue written guidance implementing the ban. Reporters from all three organizations were present at Friday’s briefing.
Press freedom advocates say they are watching closely for any formal credentialing changes, which could trigger immediate legal action. The White House Correspondents’ Association said it plans to raise the matter directly with the press secretary’s office in the coming days.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.
