CNN, MS NOW and Politico sue over Trump’s White House press ban

CNN, MS Now and Politico have filed a lawsuit seeking to allow their journalists to enter the White House grounds days after U.S. President Donald Trump revoked their access, turning to the courts in their fight over constitutional protections for the press.

The news outlets claim the ban is a “direct assault” on the First Amendment and “a blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” according to the complaint filed Monday in federal court in Washington.

“President Trump has said in no uncertain terms that he would prefer only to be covered by news organizations and reporters who praise his administration,” the outlets said. “But the Constitution does not allow a president or any other government official to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights and liberty and property interests with no notice or process based solely on his dislike of the content of their reporting.”

CNN, MS Now and Politico are seeking a court order that would immediately reinstate their access to the White House while their lawsuit proceeds.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee, scheduled a hearing on the request for Wednesday. Kelly presided over a similar case in 2018, when CNN filed a suit after the White House revoked the credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta. Kelly ordered his access restored.

Trump cited that ruling in a social media post Monday, criticizing Kelly and noting that the judge was “sadly, appointed by ‘TRUMP.’”

The president said, “we’ll go for an appeal” if Kelly rules against him.

Trump’s ban marked a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to curb press access to events and spaces that are in the public interest. Federal courts have previously overturned similar moves against reporters who work at the White House campus. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from making laws that abridge freedom of speech and the press.

All three news outlets said their journalists were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday, a day after Trump announced the ban.

The move had an immediate impact on coverage of the president. CNN was due to be the broadcaster traveling with Trump to New York Monday ahead of the U.N. General Assembly but has been removed from that roster. It was unclear which news organization, if any, would take its place.

CNBC reported Monday that the White House TV pool would not be covering events during Trump’s trip to New York. CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins on social media shared an email she said was from Bryan Boughton, the current TV pool chair. The email said that “effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President.” It cited the White House decision to prevent CNN from fulfilling its pool duties and said there “will be no replacement pool put in place.”

Signage in support of news outlets that have been banned by Trump near the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Monday | BLOOMBERG

“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News, members of the White House television pool, said Monday in a joint statement.

Trump, who for years has dismissed critical coverage of his administration and policies as “fake news,” defended his move on social media Monday.

“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Trump said. “It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” he added, claiming the coverage is “a threat to our National Security.”

The White House referred to Trump’s social media post after a request for comment.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, when asked about the ban during a CNBC interview, said he didn’t know much about the decision, but went on to criticize the press and its coverage. “We’ll see, maybe it’s a change in coverage at the White House,” he said.

The Treasury Department excluded journalists from several outlets, including Bloomberg News, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, from covering the recent Group of 20 finance ministers summit. The Defense Department separately barred mainstream media organizations last year from keeping offices in the Pentagon after they refused to sign on to new limits on their activities.

Trump announced in a social media post Friday that he was revoking access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico “effective immediately” due to what he described as unfavorable coverage of his administration. He warned that “other Fake News Media Outlets” could also soon be banned.

“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump said in the post.

In their lawsuits, the outlets argued that Trump’s ban violated the First Amendment by unlawfully retaliating against them, because he framed it as a direct response to their coverage of his administration. They said the ban “brazenly discriminates based on editorial viewpoint.”

The news outlets also alleged the president violated their right to due process under the Fifth Amendment because he failed to provide clear standards for his decision and did not give them the opportunity to contest the ban before it was implemented.

The move comes at a politically challenging time for the president, with his approval ratings at record lows and polls showing broad voter discontent with his economic agenda, in particular over high costs of living and the Iran war. The conflict, now in its seventh month, has spiked global energy prices that are further weighing on U.S. pocketbooks.

Last year, the Associated Press sued Trump administration officials when they were excluded by the White House from events, even though its reporters were still allowed to work from the grounds. The case is still being fought in the courts.

The case is Cable News Network Inc. v. Trump, 26-cv-3287, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia.