Trump Makes Good on Vow to Keep Reporters Out of WH

UPDATE Sep 19, 2026 10:06 AM CDT

President Trump has made good on a vow to deny access to the White House for journalists from certain news outlets. Akayla Gardner, a White House correspondent for MS NOW, and a photographer from the network weren't allowed onto White House grounds early Saturday, with Gardner relaying that her press badge didn't work when she showed up, reports CNN and the New York Times. "I asked why I could not get inside; he said it was above him," she notes. An MS NOW producer was allowed to enter, Gardner adds. CNN reports its correspondent, Betsy Klein, was also denied entry on Saturday. In a statement, MS NOW notes it "intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights," per the Times. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, says "a ban like this would be flatly unconstitutional." This story has been updated.

Sep 18, 2026 2:59 PM CDT

President Trump said on Friday that journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are no longer allowed in the White House because of their news coverage that he called "fake." In a Truth Social post, CNBC reports, the president accused the two networks and the political website of publishing "FICTION and LIES." He added, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow." While Trump has railed about coverage he considers unflattering for years, the banishments represent an escalation of his battle against the press, the Wall Street Journal points out—a campaign in which his administration has tested the constitutional protections for a free press.

Trump offered no examples of the coverage that triggered the move and didn't say how it would be implemented. In February 2025, Trump barred AP journalists from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other events too small for a full press corps in retaliation for the news outlet's decision not to use the new name he announced for the Gulf of Mexico. The organization filed a lawsuit, per the AP, and the case is ongoing. Trump has filed defamation suits against outlets including the Journal and the New York Times. He revoked the press pass of CNN reporter Jim Acosta in his first term, though the network won that battle in court.