Trump announces he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House over their reporting
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, in a post on his Truth Social account (posted again to his X account at 8:11 PM EDT)
In a Truth Social post at 3:04 PM EDT on September 18, 2026, President Trump said that, effective immediately, he was banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House because of their reporting, which he called fake news. He wrote that outlets should not be able to constantly write or report fiction and lies about the President, his administration or the country, and that other outlets would follow.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them “alive.” Seems like corruption to me!), 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.”
Original text
Original post
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Donald Trump in this case
- Trump tells CNN's Kaitlan Collins at the UN that she should not be there covering himLater: Defended or excused
- Trump calls Kaitlan Collins and CNN "SLEAZEBAGS" and "sick, treasonous, and demented"Later: Defended or excused
- Trump tells MS NOW's Akayla Gardner to "be quiet" and calls her network "fake news"Later: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Trump's own post announcing the exclusion. The page at this URL carries the full post text; that text is character-for-character identical to the archive copy and to Trump's 8:11 PM EDT cross-post on X. The Truth Social page carries no timestamp, so the 3:04 PM EDT time comes from the archive page (Original Post Date Friday, September 18, 2026, 03:04 pm EDT; re-captured Saturday, 12:37 PM EDT with the text unchanged). Truth Social's own canonical URL is this form, without /posts/; both forms return the same page. The archive page is included as a readable backup and as the source of the timestamp.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original post
About this source
Trump's cross-post of the announcement on X. The text is identical to the 3:04 PM EDT Truth Social post; this is a repost five hours later, not the original announcement.
Reporting
About this source
CNN Business story first published 3:40 PM EDT on September 18, 2026 and last modified 10:12 PM EDT. CNN is one of the three outlets, so its account of its own staff is an outlet's account.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
MS NOW's own news story, published at 11:15 AM EDT and last modified at 1:06 PM EDT Saturday (edits between 11:37 AM and 1:06 PM EDT changed only sidebar items). The page was rewritten during the day: the page title still reads 'MS NOW journalists denied entry to White House on day after Trump bans them in First Amendment test' while the current headline names all three outlets. MS NOW is a party; the story carries its spokesperson statement. The story calls the second MS NOW staff member a cameraman, where CNN and AP call the person a photographer.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Trump posted at 3:04 PM EDT on Friday, September 18. The post also describes Politico as the recipient of an "illegal and ridiculous" $8 million government subscription under President Biden.
After the quotation
About an hour later Trump defended the announcement in the Oval Office. CNN and Politico issued statements that evening, and on the morning of September 19 MS NOW, CNN and Politico each said a White House reporter had been refused entry.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Trump is the author of that act and states it as a decision he is proud of, giving the outlets' coverage as the reason, so the post advances the conduct under scrutiny rather than describing it. The closest competing label is “Challenged the characterization”, because the post calls the outlets' reporting "fake news" and "lies". That loses because those assertions are offered as the justification for an exclusion he announces and endorses in the same post.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico
More from this case
Read the full caseBoutrous distinguishes pool-size limits from retaliation for reporting
“It’s retaliation for speech. That violates the First Amendment.”Read statement
White House says no journalist has a right to Oval Office or Air Force One access
The White House
“No person and no journalist has a constitutional right to access to the President's Oval Office, Air Force One, or other sensitive and private facilities.”Read statement
Schiff says White House press exclusions also harm the public
“When a reporter is denied access to the White House, it isn't just that news organization that suffers. The American people rely on a free press to know what their government is up to, and whether it is acting wisely and lawfully.”Read statement
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Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Trump announces he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House over their reporting
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1132-in-a-truth-social-post-at-3-04
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Trump announces he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House over their reporting". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1132-in-a-truth-social-post-at-3-04