CNN, MS Now, Politico sue Donald Trump over White House ban
- Last updated: September 21, 2026 | 18:58
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued President Donald Trump on Monday for banning them from White House grounds, saying it violated their rights under the US Constitution to cover him.
In a complaint filed in the Washington, DC, federal court, the media outlets said Trump can't ban them solely because he dislikes what he calls their "negative" coverage, and reserve coverage for media who offer praise. They also said the public deserves "current and complete information" about their government.
"This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," the media outlets said.
The administration's announcement of the bans on Friday and the White House's subsequent actions over the weekend represented a clear escalation of Trump's long-running efforts — in the courts and through administrative action — to restrict news coverage he finds objectionable.
They were also the latest test of First Amendment protections in the United States, where the government is constitutionally forbidden from restricting the press.
The three outlets made the announcement in a joint statement posted on X, two days after their reporters were blocked from the White House and prevented from doing their jobs. The reporters' entry badges were disabled on Saturday, a day after Trump had suddenly announced he was barring the outlets because of reporting he found to be "fake news."
On Monday morning, the banned TV networks were reporting from an intersection just outside the White House complex.
Also on Monday, was removed from its pool duties, which are shared by the major networks. It had been scheduled to cover the president's trip to New York.
In an email, the TV pool, which consists of the five major networks, wrote that there would be no replacement coverage following the White House actions.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which was expected to be filed later in the morning. But on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote Monday morning that he "cherished" what he called a free press.
"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish," the president said in his post. "It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!"
In his second term, Trump and his Republican administration have upped the ante and punished certain media outlets.
Trump has also lashed out at individual reporters in person or over social media, sometimes in strikingly personal terms - insulting them in briefings or in his recent speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. "This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes," the outlets said in a joint statement posted early on Monday on X.
"Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting," they said. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."
The Associated Press reviewed a copy of the court document before it was filed. In the joint complaint, released by the news organisations, the outlets said: "This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles."
Reuters / Associated Press