Steven Cheung says senior staff fully support Trump’s decision to bar the outlets
Steven CheungWhite House communications director, in an email to The New York Times
Cheung said Trump's senior staff fully supported the president's decision and framed it as holding news organizations accountable for false reporting.
“We all fully support his decision to hold Fake News accountable for their continued lies.”
Reporting
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
The Times's live report attributes statements to White House communications director Steven Cheung, Senator Bernie Sanders and commentator Benny Johnson while covering enforcement of the ban.
Before the quotation
The Times asked about reports that the announcement had surprised some White House aides and noted that senior staff were with Trump when he posted it.
After the quotation
Cheung's response states full support for the decision and supplies an accountability rationale.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Cheung explicitly endorses the president's decision and repeats the administration's justification that the excluded outlets publish false information.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump
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
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Steven Cheung says senior staff fully support Trump’s decision to bar the outlets
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1313-cheung-said-trump-s-senior-staff-fully-supported
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Steven Cheung says senior staff fully support Trump’s decision to bar the outlets". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1313-cheung-said-trump-s-senior-staff-fully-supported