Obama says he is not surprised by Trump's press ban and calls press freedom "foundational"
Barack ObamaFormer President of the United States, in conversation with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
At an event at Salem State University, former President Obama said he was not surprised by Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, and called press freedom a foundational, non-partisan issue. He said no substantial group of Republicans had objected to the ban, and that a government excluding critics over their coverage is incompatible with democracy.
“The free press, the idea that the government cannot discriminate against, or pick on, or bully, or exclude somebody because they don’t like the criticism that’s being leveled at them, that is a foundational issue. And so, I am not surprised that the current president wants to ban newscasts that are critical of him, because he’s that guy.”
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
CNN's report on former President Obama's remarks at a Monday, Sept. 21 event at Salem State University in Massachusetts, in conversation with historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Obama said he was not surprised by the ban, called press freedom a foundational, non-partisan issue, and said no substantial group of Republicans had objected to it. He also noted his own administration faced press-access criticism, which the Trump White House had cited to justify its ban.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Obama spoke on Monday, September 21, three days after Trump announced the ban and the same day the outlets filed their lawsuit.
After the quotation
Obama noted his own administration had faced press-access criticism, which the Trump White House cited that week to help justify its ban.
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, Obama calls the exclusion of critical outlets incompatible with a free press and democracy. That criticizes the exclusion, so we labeled it Condemned.
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The Dispute Index. "Obama says he is not surprised by Trump's press ban and calls press freedom "foundational"". First published: 2026-09-28. Last updated: 2026-09-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/3076-at-an-event-at-salem-state-university-former