White House declines to comment further on the exclusion, referring NBC News to Trump's previous comments
The White HouseThe White House, as reported by NBC News
NBC News reported that on Saturday, September 19, after reporters from the three outlets were turned away at the White House, the White House declined to comment further and referred NBC to Trump's previous comments. No words of the White House's own were published.
“The White House declined to comment further Saturday, referring NBC News to Trump’s previous comments.”
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by The White House in this case
- White House says press access is a privilege, not a rightLater: Defended or excused
- White House counsel demands that Politico retract three stories about Susie WilesLater: Defended or excused
- White House says no journalist has a right to Oval Office or Air Force One accessLater: 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
Reporting
About this source
NBC News report of Saturday, September 19, 2026. The article has been revised since first publication and now covers all three outlets; the sentence quoted is NBC's own report of the White House's response.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)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)Before the quotation
On Friday, CNN reported that the White House Press Office, asked for comment on Trump's post, referred to his Oval Office remarks. On Saturday morning reporters for MS NOW, CNN and Politico said they were refused entry at a White House gate.
After the quotation
The White House had not otherwise commented on the exclusion in any source read; NBC also reported that a White House spokesperson referred it to Trump's spoken comments about the new policy.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Asked about the exclusion, the White House declined to say more and pointed reporters to the President's earlier remarks, a reported decline that expresses no evaluation of its own. The closest competing label is “Defended or excused”, because the remarks it points to defend the exclusion. That loses because the White House itself offered no evaluation; a referral is not an endorsement.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico
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Jaffer calls the restrictions an attack on democratic foundations
“The president’s attack on the independence of the White House press corps should be understood in that light. It’s an attack on the foundations of our democracy.”Read statement
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- White House declines to comment further on the exclusion, referring NBC News to Trump's previous comments
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The Dispute Index. "White House declines to comment further on the exclusion, referring NBC News to Trump's previous comments". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1141-nbc-news-reported-that-on-saturday-september-19