By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Saturday has barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, triggered a sharp response from the White House Correspondents’ Association, which described the action as a “ban on the free press”.
White House Correspondents’ Association said the dispute concerns Americans’ right to receive an independent account of government actions, while Trump indicated that additional media organisations could face restrictions.
Trump defended the decision in the Oval Office, accused the three news organisations of “fake news” and deliberately negative coverage of his administration. He also indicated that other media outlets could face similar restrictions.
“I don’t want them in my office. I don’t want them here. I would say the ban would go as far as you can,” Trump told reporters.
He nnounced the restrictions on Truth Social, saying they would take effect immediately.
The White House Correspondents’ Association pushed back strongly against the move.
WHCA president Jacqui Heinrich said in a statement “The president said it plainly in the Oval Office, describing his own planned action as a ‘ban on the free press,’”.
Heinrich said constitutional protections for the press did not depend on whether a president approved of a news organisation’s reporting or the questions its journalists asked.
“This is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office,” she said.
“The WHCA stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO who are being singled out for doing their jobs,” Heinrich added.
Heinrich is the WHCA president and a senior White House correspondent for Fox News.
Trump denied that a single report had prompted the decision. He said his action followed years of coverage that he considered unfair.
“No, it’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years. You get sick of it,” he said.
Trump singled out CNN during his remarks and accused the network of one-sided reporting.
“They purposely write negative news, and they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration,” Trump said.
He also attacked MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, and repeated an allegation involving Politico and government subscriptions during the Joe Biden administration.
Trump claimed Politico received about USD 8 million from the government under Biden “to keep them afloat”.
In his Truth Social post, he described the payment as an “illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription” and suggested it amounted to corruption.
He suggested the list of organisations facing restrictions may not end with the three named outlets.
“There’s a lot of news, and there may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better,” he said.
Trump said the US needed a free press, arguing that it should also be “fair” and “honest”.
“You need a free press. You need a fair press and an honest press,” he said.
Trump also left open the possibility that the three organisations could regain access if, in his words, they could “straighten themselves out”.
The confrontation follows dispute between the Trump administration and The Associated Press over the news agency’s continued use of “Gulf of Mexico” rather than the administration-preferred “Gulf of America”.
The White House restricted AP journalists’ access to Oval Office events and Air Force One in February 2025.
The AP challenged the restrictions in court. A federal district court issued a preliminary injunction in April 2025.
The latest move expands Trump’s dispute over White House access to three more major news organisations.
