CNN, MS NOW, and Politico announced they are suing the US government after Donald Trump ordered them banned from reporting in the White House. The three media outlets assert this violates their constitutional rights.
On Monday, 21 Sep 2026 GMT+7, three leading US news organizations—CNN, MS NOW, and Politico—declared they will file lawsuits after President Donald Trump barred them from the White House, citing that media critical of his administration are a “cancer” threatening national security.
This ban escalates the ongoing conflict between US news outlets and Trump, who has long attacked the press, especially those reporting critical coverage of him and his administration.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing suit today to protect First Amendment rights and uphold the principle that the government cannot decide what the media should report or publish,” CNN, MS NOW, and Politico said in a joint statement.
The three outlets stated the White House revoked their press credentials “without prior notice or any due process,” simply because they “objected to our reporting.”
“If left unchallenged, this sets a dangerous precedent threatening press freedom and the public’s right to receive independent news free from government interference,” the statement added.
Donald Trump maintained a hardline stance, posting on social media Monday that his administration is not targeting “free press” but is “taking on FAKE NEWS, which is spreading like a cancer.”
“It is corrupt, malicious, widespread, fully coordinated, and completely out of control,” Trump claimed, adding it is “a threat to our national security and must be stopped—NOW!”
Trump did not specify what triggered the ban but stated, “News organizations should not be allowed to write or report fiction and lies constantly while covering the US president.” He also threatened that other outlets might face similar consequences, without naming any.
Trump has consistently attacked media critical of his campaigns and administration, for example in 2017 calling the press the “enemy of the American people.”
Throughout his two terms, he has repeatedly claimed journalists fail to properly acknowledge his achievements and has regularly insulted reporters he dislikes both in person and on social media.
.cna