Trump says the White House is not assaulting the free press but “the FAKE NEWS,” which “must be stopped, NOW!”
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, posting on Truth Social
In a Truth Social post on the morning of September 21, Trump wrote that the White House is “not instituting an assault on the Free Press” but on “the FAKE NEWS,” which he called “corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control” and “a threat to our National Security” that “must be stopped, NOW!” The Hill reports the post followed CNN, MS NOW and Politico's announcement that they would sue over the ban.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Original text
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
Original text
About this source
Cited from the trumpstruth.org archive, which records the original post ID, the original URL (truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117308890736529824) and the posting time. The Hill quotes the same text and links to the original post.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
The Hill's report of Trump's post, which says it followed the announcement by CNN, MS NOW and Politico that they would sue over the ban. It links to the original Truth Social status and quotes the outlets' joint statement that they had notified the government that morning of a lawsuit.
Before the quotation
The three outlets said in a joint statement that morning that they had notified the government they were filing a lawsuit to protect their First Amendment rights. Trump had announced the ban on September 18.
After the quotation
The outlets filed their complaint in federal court in Washington later on September 21. A hearing on their request for a temporary restraining order is set for September 23.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On Trump’s decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Trump rejects the description of the ban as an assault on the free press but says the White House is instituting an assault on what he calls fake news, which he says “must be stopped, NOW!” The post does not name the ban or the three outlets; it is recorded here because The Hill reports it as his response to their announced lawsuit. It endorses acting against the outlets rather than only disputing a label, so the closest competing label, “Challenged the characterization”, does not fit.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- CNN, MS NOW, Politico
More from this case
Read the full caseFreedom of the Press Foundation calls the ruling a "stinging defeat" for the press ban
Freedom of the Press Foundation
“This decision is a stinging defeat for Trump's assault on the free press and a powerful vindication of the First Amendment. As Judge Kelly recognized, presidents don't get to use their power to purge journalists because they don't like what they report.”Read statement
Reporters Committee says the injunction ends a "blatantly unconstitutional attempt" to punish news outlets
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
“The court has put an end to a blatantly unconstitutional attempt to punish news outlets for coverage the president doesn't like. The decision protects not only CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, but all the other holders of White House passes who continued to work under the threat of retaliation — and of course the public, which deserves timely and accurate information from a press corps free from government intimidation.”Read statement
CNN chief Mark Thompson says the network will fight the ban "to the end"
“To me, it's a vote of confidence in free speech and our right, not really so much for ourselves but on behalf of the public everywhere ... No matter how many court cases, investigations, court appearances, and all the expense that that entails, we will fight this one to the end”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Trump says the White House is not assaulting the free press but “the FAKE NEWS,” which “must be stopped, NOW!”". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1350-in-a-truth-social-post-on-the-morning