Journalists denied White House access after Trump banned some media outlets

19 September 2026, 15: 31 BST. Updated 3 hours ago.

Key points

• Afterwards on Saturday morning, Politico stated its reporter Cheyenne Haslett was denied entry and Secret Service revoked her pass.
• Politico, CNN and MS NOW journalists have been denied access to the White House after US President Donald Trump confirmed he was banning the outlets.
• Trump remarked on Friday he was barring all three major US media outlets from the White House, accusing them of writing "fiction or lies" concerning his administration.
• CNN reporter Betsy Klein remarked a Secret Service agent informed her her badge had been deactivated.
• Both CNN and Politico additionally stated Saturday morning that their reporters were denied access and had their badges seized.

In practice, an MS NOW reporter and a photographer tried entering the White House grounds on Saturday morning, but their badges would not scan and an officer confiscated them, the outlet documented.

Trump remarked on Friday he was barring all three major US media outlets from the White House, accusing them of writing "fiction or lies" concerning his administration. Press freedom advocates called the move unconstitutional.

"The officer asked me to hand over my badge. He remarked that it was disabled, " MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner stated. "I asked why I was not able to obtain inside. He remarked it was above him."

Though she was not given an explanation as to why the producer's badge still worked, gardner continued that while her and her colleague's badges were disabled, an MS NOW producer was still able to scan her badge to secure in.

All three outlets have spoken out against the decision, accusing Trump of violating their constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of the press.

Notably, an MS NOW spokesperson remarked in an official note that the White House "belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars".

MS NOW remarked it "intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy".

Politico Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Greenberger remarked in an internal email, shared in the outlet's Playbook newsletter, that the business stands by its reporters and will "vigorously defend" their First Amendment rights.

And CNN remarked, "We have a right under the US Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right."

In his announcement, Trump did not mention specific stories or reporting from the three outlets that prompted the move, but afterwards stated "it's really just cumulative stories over the last few years".

Trump continued that there "may be others to join them", but has not given a directive banning further news outlets. When afterwards asked by a reporter what he meant by others to come, Trump responded: "Others to come in terms of fake news? Well, you know, the New York Times is fake news, the Washington Post is fake news."

In practice, a number of groups dedicated to the freedom of the press have called out Trump's White House ban as illegal and unconstitutional.

For context, a major group that provides legal services to the media – the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press – remarked it anticipated Trump's ban to be struck down rapidly by the courts as it was "flatly unconstitutional".

"The First Amendment is clear that once the White House invites in some journalists, it can't ban others because it doesn't like their reporting, " remarked Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. It provides legal services to the media.

It's the latest in a series of moves by the administration to target media outlets Trump notes are critical of him, including legal action against US and international outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.

Some of the lawsuits have resulted in media organisations agreeing to pay multimillion dollar settlements. Trump's lawsuit against the BBC is ongoing. Extra reporting from Bernd Debusmann Jr and Max Matza.

For now, journalists denied White House access after Trump banned some media outlets remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.