CNN, MS NOW, Politico Reporters Barred From White House as Press Badges Are Revoked

Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House and had press credentials disabled or confiscated Saturday, one day after President Donald Trump announced the three news organizations were banned over coverage he characterized as false.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.

Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied entry to the White House grounds Saturday and had press credentials revoked or confiscated as the Trump administration began enforcing President Donald Trump’s newly announced ban on the three news organizations.

The access restrictions took effect Sept. 19, one day after Trump declared that the outlets would no longer be permitted at the White House because of what he characterized as years of inaccurate reporting. Reporters from all three organizations encountered the restrictions when attempting to enter the complex Saturday.

Trump announced the decision Sept. 18 on Truth Social, writing that he was, effective immediately, banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” Trump added.

The president did not cite a specific article or broadcast as the reason for the action, according to reporting on the announcement.

MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner said she was able to pass through earlier security checkpoints Saturday morning before discovering at another entrance that her credential had been disabled.

“Once I was inside where we have magnetometers, I attempted to scan my badge, which we have to do to be able to get into the White House grounds,” Gardner said during a live MS NOW broadcast.

“It did not work. There was a red beeping light, and so the officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled.”

Gardner said the officer could not provide a specific explanation and told her the decision “was above him.”

Security personnel then took Gardner’s badge and the credential belonging to an MS NOW photographer, she said. An MS NOW producer was still able to enter with a credential that remained active.

MS NOW responded by saying it intends to challenge the restrictions.

“The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars,” MS NOW stated.

The network said it plans to take “any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights” and indicated that its journalists would continue covering the administration despite the loss of White House access.

CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein also attempted to enter the grounds Saturday and was denied access. CNN said her credential had been revoked.

“We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right,” CNN said in a statement Saturday.

The network said it will “continue to report on the actions and processes of this administration without fear or favor.”

Politico encountered the same restriction when White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett arrived at the complex.

Politico Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger said in the publication’s Playbook newsletter that Haslett was denied entry and her credential was confiscated.

“Secret Service denied her entry to the complex and confiscated the pass that allows her access to the White House,” the statement read.

“We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. As we said yesterday, we will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”

Reports and photographs Saturday showed Gardner, Klein and Haslett outside the White House after being denied entry.

The White House Correspondents’ Association also objected to the administration’s decision.

Association President Jacqui Heinrich, a senior White House correspondent for Fox News Channel, said the government should not base White House press access on whether the president approves of an organization’s coverage.

“The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference,” Heinrich said in a Sept. 19 statement.

“That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask.”

The three outlets’ statements and Heinrich’s comments frame the dispute as a First Amendment matter. Trump, by contrast, has said the restrictions are a response to reporting he considers false. Whether the new restrictions comply with constitutional requirements could ultimately become a matter for the courts if the affected organizations pursue litigation.

Existing federal appellate precedent has addressed the procedures surrounding White House press credentials.

In the 1977 case Sherrill v. Knight, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that once the White House makes press facilities available to journalists, access cannot be denied arbitrarily or for less than compelling reasons. The court also required notice, an opportunity to respond and a final written explanation when a White House press credential is denied for security reasons.

The latest confrontation also follows a separate dispute between the Trump administration and The Associated Press in 2025.

The White House restricted AP access to certain presidential events after the news organization declined to adopt “Gulf of America” as its exclusive terminology for the body of water historically known as the Gulf of Mexico.

A federal judge subsequently ordered the White House to restore AP access while litigation continued, finding that the government could not punish a news organization based on its viewpoint.

Saturday’s action against CNN, MS NOW and Politico goes beyond a dispute over access to an individual event. Reporters from all three organizations said their regular credentials had been disabled or confiscated when they attempted to enter the White House complex.

Trump also indicated that the restrictions may not end with those three organizations, writing that “Other Fake News Media Outlets” could follow.

For now, CNN, MS NOW and Politico say they intend to continue covering the administration while challenging the loss of White House access, setting up another dispute over the extent of presidential authority to determine which credentialed journalists may report from inside the White House complex.