Benny Johnson says the White House exclusions do not infringe the outlets’ ability to report
Benny JohnsonPolitical commentator and podcaster, in a social-media statement reported by The New York Times
Johnson celebrated the decision and argued that excluding the outlets from White House access did not infringe their ability to report.
“No one is infringing on their ability to do reporting.”
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 reported that Johnson celebrated the decision and compared it with Trump's earlier removal from social-media platforms.
After the quotation
The quoted sentence argues that the ban does not prevent reporting, rather than disputing that access was revoked.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
In the reported context, Johnson celebrates the decision and minimizes its effect by arguing that the outlets remain able to report, which excuses the exclusion.
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- Donald Trump
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- Benny Johnson says the White House exclusions do not infringe the outlets’ ability to report
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The Dispute Index. "Benny Johnson says the White House exclusions do not infringe the outlets’ ability to report". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/1315-johnson-celebrated-the-decision-and-argued-that-excluding