US President Donald Trump has announced that he is “immediately” banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, the latest twist in his fraught relationship with American media outlets.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said that the outlets “constantly write or report fiction or lies” about his administration, although he provided no examples.
It is unclear what exactly a ban would entail, and whether employees of those outlets would be prevented from entering the White House grounds.
The move is likely to be met with legal challenges from the outlets involved and press freedom organisations.
Reporters from both Politico and CNN were still on the White House grounds shortly after the announcement was made.
“Media outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies when covering they’re covering the President of the United States, the trump administration or the United States of America,” Trump wrote. “Other news outlets to follow.”
The post did not mention specific stories or reporting that led to the move.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump and administration officials have repeatedly clashed with members of the White House press corps.
In February of that year, the White House announced that it was taking back control of the press pool which has access to Trump and had for more than a century been managed by the White House Correspondent’s Association.
The same month, the administration moved to bar Associated Press reporters and photographers from spaces where access is limited, such as the Oval Office or Air Force One, because of the outlet’s usage of the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”.
The president often clashes with reporters in the Oval Office and on Air Force One, often referring to them as “fake news” and “rude”.
The Associated Press swiftly filed a lawsuit and the case remains ongoing.
Trump has pursued legal action against a number of US and international news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the BBC.
The BBC has contacted the White House for comment on Trump’s announcement.
