WASHINGTON — Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico have had their White House access suspended, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would remove the outlets, which have reported critically on his administration and the Republican Party, from the White House. Trump has also branded other news organizations "fake news," deepening his conflict with the press.
The White House blocked reporters from the three outlets from entering the complex the previous day, according to Bloomberg and Reuters on the 20th. Each of the three outlets said their reporters' press credentials were confiscated when they arrived at the White House that morning. They signaled they could pursue legal action on the grounds that the move violates the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press and of speech.
CNN said in a statement that the ban was an unlawful attack on the constitutional right to report without government interference. MS NOW said it would take every step necessary to defend First Amendment rights and the essential role of an independent press in a democracy. CNN and MS NOW said they would continue covering the Trump administration, while Politico said it stood behind the reporters who cover the White House.
Trump wrote on social media the previous day that the outlets were reporting fake news. He added that they should not be allowed to cover the U.S. president while constantly writing or broadcasting fiction and falsehoods, and that other fake news outlets would follow.
Meeting with reporters in the Oval Office the same day, Trump cited The New York Times and The Washington Post as examples of "fake news" when asked which other outlets he meant. He did not specifically say the two would be excluded from the White House.
The New York Times said in a statement that the ban was another retaliatory and unconstitutional threat, adding that it stood with news organizations unfairly targeted by the president. The Washington Post also issued a statement that day, calling access to cover the White House a constitutional right that cannot be negotiated and describing the president's action as a clear form of intimidation aimed at silencing coverage.
Trump has previously sought to exclude specific outlets or reporters from press pool events. Last year he removed The Associated Press from the pool covering his movements, citing the agency's refusal to adopt the name "Gulf of America" after he directed his administration to use it in place of the Gulf of Mexico. The AP challenged the move in court. During his first term, the White House tried to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem and CNN reporter Jim Acosta. Federal judges ordered that both journalists' White House passes be restored.
