--- title: Major TV Networks United Against Trump's White House Press Ban description: "Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference," read a joint statement from the three media outlets. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/09/21/cnn-ms-now-politico-to-sue-trump-administration-over-white-house-ban/ author: Olivia-Anne Cleary article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-09-21T12:43:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-09-21T18:18:24.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Trump Administration Over White House Ban og:description: "Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference," read a joint statement from the three media outlets. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/09/21/cnn-ms-now-politico-to-sue-trump-administration-over-white-house-ban/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta171bc5bc5febc85/6ab11e6fdee4e3705b9f3a6d/GettyImages-2257267518.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4822 og:image:height: 2712 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2257267518.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Trump Administration Over White House Ban twitter:description: "Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference," read a joint statement from the three media outlets. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta171bc5bc5febc85/6ab11e6fdee4e3705b9f3a6d/GettyImages-2257267518.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Trump Administration Over White House Ban > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0829f23b-747b-4569-92fb-59fb9cae5b6a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Can Trump Legally Ban News Outlets From the White House? Explained in 60 Seconds [Watch (HLS stream): Can Trump Legally Ban News Outlets From the White House? Explained in 60 Seconds](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/coLI0Nfq.m3u8) (1:21)  _Published 2026-09-23. "Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference," read a joint statement from the three media outlets._ by [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/) and [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) Updated: Sep 21, 2026 6:18 PM UTCPublished: Sep 21, 2026 12:43 PM UTC by [Olivia-Anne Cleary](https://time.com/author/olivia-anne-cleary/) and [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) Updated: Sep 21, 2026 6:18 PM UTCPublished: Sep 21, 2026 12:43 PM UTC CNN, MS NOW, and Politico [sued the Trump Administration](https://www.politico.com/f/?id=000001a0-c343-d2df-a1f4-f7cf04bf0000) on Monday following [President Donald Trump](https://time.com/7280106/trump-interview-100-days-2025/)'s decision to [ban the three media outlets](https://time.com/article/2026/09/18/trump-bans-3-news-organizations-from-white-house/) from the White House. "This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the companies [said](https://x.com/CNNPR/status/2101976271324348731) in a joint statement. Trump took to [Truth Social ](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117308890736529824)shortly afterwards and insisted the White House "is not instituting an assault on the free press" but is instead targeting "fake news"—something he argued is "totally out of control" and "a threat to our national security." Vice President J.D. Vance, when asked about the lawsuit, argued that Trump is not "banning" media outlets. "What he's doing is saying we're not gonna give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively propaganda," he [said](https://x.com/cspan/status/2102063163780788428). The White House later doubled down on its stance, issuing a [press release](https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/09/white-house-access-is-a-privilege-not-a-right/) titled "White House access is a privilege—not a right," during which they argued "the First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool." CNN, MS NOW, and Politico said their reporters were denied access to the White House over the weekend and had their badges seized following Trump's ban issued Friday. MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner on Saturday described arriving at the White House campus to discover her badge no longer worked. "The officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled. I asked why I was not able to get inside. He said it was above him," she [recounted.](https://x.com/brianstelter/status/2101287238860468697) Reporters from [CNN](https://x.com/CNNPR/status/2101310670805377091) and [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/19/ms-now-journalists-denied-access-to-white-house-after-trump-media-ban-01085082) shared similar experiences. “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference," the joint statement from the outlets continued. Trump announced his decision to ban the three media outlets Friday afternoon in [a Truth Social post](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117293599348325006) that warned other news outlets could face similar restrictions. “Effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW... and Politico... from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ fake news!” Trump said. “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.” When asked in the Oval Office later that day if the media ban is likely to be struck down in court, Trump [responded](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KpXHJLRUGEs): “I think it's good to point it out whether it survives or doesn't. I don't think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day.” The ban has presented a new test of the First Amendment’s protection of a free press as his Administration moves to [punish news organizations](https://time.com/7325465/multiple-media-outlets-wont-sign-new-pentagon-press-rules-face-possible-exclusion/) whose coverage he dislikes. The [First Amendment](https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/) forbids the government from "abridging" the freedom of the press—a principle intended to allow news organizations to scrutinize those in power without fear of government retaliation over their reporting. ### TV networks unite in solidarity against Trump's White House media ban CNN is one of five U.S. news outlets in the White House press pool that rotates responsibility for pooled live video coverage. The network was originally due to cover Trump's trip to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Monday. In light of the ban, the other major television networks are standing with CNN by declining to replace its White House pool crew. The decision means the shared TV pool will not cover Trump’s events that have been designated for pool coverage. In a [rare joint statement,](https://x.com/brianstelter/status/2102038637814693967) ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC said: “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.” Bryan Boughton, current chair of the TV pool and Fox News Washington bureau chief, had earlier issued a memo to the White House press corps detailing the decision. "This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” read the memo, [according to CNN. ](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/20/media/cnn-trump-white-house-pool-ban)“This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place. All other pool coverage will continue as normal, including Congress, VIPs, and selected events in Washington and around the country.” The Associated Press also sent a note to media late Monday morning, informing them of the changed plans. "Please be advised that no network travel pool is expected to be with U.S. President Donald Trump today as he heads to New York for the United Nations General Assembly," read the notice. In a show of support, some media publications—including the [New York _Times_ ](https://x.com/NYTimesPR/status/2102132772366057652/photo/1)and [_Washington Post_](https://x.com/WashPostComms/status/2102107463969321069/photo/1)—announced they would hold off on publishing or distributing still photographs taken as part of the White House pool coverage on Monday until midnight E.T. TIME has reached out to the White House for comment. ### The Trump Administration's battle with the press Trump has made several previous attempts to bar or restrict reporters from government spaces. During his first term, he revoked the White House press credentials of Jim Acosta, who was then a CNN correspondent, after a tense exchange during a news conference. CNN challenged the decision in court and a judge ordered the White House [to reinstate his press pass](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/16/media/cnn-trump-lawsuit-hearing). In early 2025, shortly after returning to office, Trump tried to bar Associated Press journalists from spaces where access is limited, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, when the news organization declined to update their stylebook after Trump signed an Executive Order renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" as the “Gulf of America.” The [Associated Press sued](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277682/gov.uscourts.dcd.277682.1.0%5F1.pdf), and the case remains ongoing. The Department of Defense has also imposed various restrictions [limiting journalists’ access in the Pentagon](https://time.com/article/2026/09/01/sean-parnell-chief-pentagon-spokesperson-driscoll-army-secretary-replacement-contender/). In an unprecedented move in June, the department designated its press office a classified area. “The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility,” [said](https://x.com/JoelValdezDOW/status/2061546760116588815?s=20) deputy Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez. “As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There’s nothing controversial about that.” Trump has also verbally [lashed out at several female reporters.](https://time.com/7337058/trump-female-journalist-attacks-new-york-times-katie-rogers/) Last month, CNN [issued a statement](https://x.com/CNNPR/status/2089441657192099848) in defense of its reporter Kristen Holmes, after Trump told her to "be quiet" and called her a "loud, boisterous person" during a tense exchange in the Oval Office. The White House's Rapid Response social media account later [shared a clip](https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2089413421368291507) of the exchange, referring to Holmes as “a disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment to her alleged profession.” In its response to the rhetoric, CNN said: “Public officials are free to challenge reporting they disagree with, but personal attacks on journalists for asking questions are beneath the office and inconsistent with the principles of a free press." ## Transcript President Trump has banned CNN, MSNBC and Politico from the white House. The three media outlets have filed a lawsuit to fight the ban. So can a president legally ban news organizations from the white House? Here's what to know about the legal fight behind Trump's press ban in one minute of your time. Over the weekend, the white House confiscated and deactivated press badges from reporters of the three outlets that Trump said purposely writes negative things about him. Trump suggested on Truth Social that other media outlets could also lose access to the white House. The ban outlets argue the ban violates their First Amendment rights because the government is retaliating against them over their coverage. Previous lawsuits have established that once the government has opened up a space to the media, it cannot restrict press access based on viewpoints, although in certain areas like the Oval Office or Air Force One, presidents do have more discretion. This isn't the first time Trump is headed to the court to defend his rights to control media access. Last year, Trump barred The Associated Press from covering some events because the wire service refused to adopt Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. The AP's lawsuit over that is still ongoing. During his first term, Trump suspended the credential for Jim Acosta, who was with CNN at the time. 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