White House Relents, Allows Barred Reporters

UPDATE Sep 24, 2026 11:47 AM CDT

The White House is complying with a court order on journalists after all. Reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were allowed reentry to the White House on Thursday after being denied access earlier in the morning, reports the Washington Post and Politico. The denial had appeared to defy a court order to restore the press credentials, at least temporarily, after President Trump yanked them over unfavorable coverage.

Sep 24, 2026 9:21 AM CDT

Some reporters technically have their White House badges back—but can't get in the door. Hours after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, journalists from those outlets were still turned away Thursday morning, MS NOW, CNN, and Politico said. A look at what went down at the White House gate:

• CNN: Reporter Betsy Klein and a photojournalist were turned away at 6am; another producer was allowed inside.
• Politico: A reporter was denied entry and had his "hard pass," or permanent credentials, confiscated. A Secret Service agent said he might be able to enter with a temporary pass.
• MS Now: White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez and a producer were denied entry; a different producer was allowed in. "This is a historic moment," said reporter Akayla Gardner on Thursday. "We have President Xi coming here to Washington for a major state visit." It's unclear whether the press pool system will resume in time for the Chinese leader's state visit.

Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, had issued a 14-day restraining order finding that the outlets are likely to prevail on their argument that yanking "hard passes" without due process violates the Fifth Amendment, reports the Washington Post; he also cited the public interest in a robust press. The White House had accused the outlets of hurting national security by spreading "falsehoods," a claim Kelly said the court was "skeptical" of. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, notes the Post.