Trump says outlets that write negatively "shouldn't be allowed access" after CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, in a Truth Social post
After CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued over the exclusion, Trump posted on Truth Social that the case had been assigned to Judge Timothy Kelly, called him "sadly" a Trump appointee, and said outlets that write negatively and violate national security with unnamed sources shouldn't be allowed access to the Oval Office. He said the White House would appeal regardless of the ruling. Separately that week, off social media, he called the judge "not a particularly fair judge."
“As usual, we'll go for appeal because Fake News people and publications that only write negatively, and who violate our National Security by writing false and defamatory stories with unknown 'sources,' shouldn't be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World.”
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
Report on Judge Timothy Kelly's ruling restoring CNN, MS NOW and Politico's access, which also quotes Trump's Truth Social post from earlier that week reacting to the outlets' lawsuit and an off-social-media remark that the judge was "not a particularly fair judge."
Reporting
About this source
Report describing Trump's Truth Social post, published Monday, September 21, reacting to the outlets' lawsuit and Judge Timothy Kelly's assignment to the case. It quotes the post at length, including his argument that outlets "shouldn't be allowed access" to the Oval Office.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The outlets filed their lawsuit on Monday, September 21, the same day Trump posted.
After the quotation
Judge Kelly granted a 14-day temporary restraining order restoring the outlets' access early on September 24.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, he argues outlets that write negatively shouldn't have access to the Oval Office. That defends continuing the exclusion, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
- 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
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
- Trump says outlets that write negatively "shouldn't be allowed access" after CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3038-after-cnn-ms-now-and-politico-sued-over
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Trump says outlets that write negatively "shouldn't be allowed access" after CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue". First published: 2026-09-27. Last updated: 2026-09-27. https://disputeindex.com/events/3038-after-cnn-ms-now-and-politico-sued-over