Trump says "somebody has a right to keep them away if they're going to write false stories all the time"
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, answering reporters' questions at an Oval Office event on health care
President Trump answers a reporter's question at the Sept. 18, 2026 White House healthcare announcement.
Excerpt from 35:11 to 36:14 of the White House video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: The White House. Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: 35:13-36:12 of the White House video (question at 35:31-35:38; quoted answer at 35:51-36:09))
Asked in the Oval Office why he expected the exclusion to survive a court challenge, after a reporter noted that a similar move against CNN in his first term had not, Trump said it was good to point out fake news whether or not the exclusion survives, that a court should not allow fake news to be written "day after day after day," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away if they're going to write false stories all the time."
“No, but I think it's good. I think it's good to point it out whether it survives or doesn't. I mean, I don't think a court should allow, depends on the judge you get, to be honest with you. I don't think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day. I think that somebody has a right to keep them away if they're going to write false stories all the time.”
Original video
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 video
About this source
Official White House video of the President's health-care event in the Oval Office on September 18, 2026, which began at about 3:38 PM EDT and ran 56 minutes. The quoted wording is our transcription of the video audio. Transcription adds punctuation but no words.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Before the quotation
A reporter asked about the exclusion of the three outlets after Trump's 3:04 PM EDT post, noting that in his first term he had tried a similar move against CNN and it "didn't survive a court challenge".
After the quotation
Later in the event Trump said "So we are banning them. Yes, we are" and that "there may be others to follow", and called The New York Times and The Washington Post fake news.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Trump defends the act directly and on legal grounds, saying it is worth doing whether or not a court upholds it and that outlets can be kept away if they write false stories. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because he says "whether it survives or doesn't" and "depends on the judge you get". That loses because those phrases concern the litigation outcome, not his position on the exclusion, which he affirms.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico
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“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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- Trump says "somebody has a right to keep them away if they're going to write false stories all the time"
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The Dispute Index. "Trump says "somebody has a right to keep them away if they're going to write false stories all the time"". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1133-asked-in-the-oval-office-why-he-expected