After Outlets Sue, Trump Defends His Media Ban

President Trump on Monday doubled down on his decision to ban three major media outlets from the White House and insisted that he values a free press. The Truth Social post came after those outlets—Politico, CNN, and MS Now—said they would file a federal lawsuit challenging his move. "The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish," Trump wrote, reports Mediaite. Instead, it is going after "fake news," which he called a threat to national security "and must be stopped."

Trump on Friday said the three outlets were banned "effective immediately" over their coverage of him and his administration, and warned that "other Fake News Media Outlets" could be next. Reporters from the named organizations later learned their White House press credentials had been revoked. In announcing their lawsuit, the organizations said they were suing "to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes." In an opinion piece for the Poynter Institute, Tom Jones writes that Trump's ban is unconstitutional and "almost certainly" won't survive the courts.