Trump Bans CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from White House

According to reports on Monday, White House aide Natalie Harp presented President Donald Trump with news clips just before he decided to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House.

CNN referenced Harp’s actions, indicating that she showed Trump specific news coverage shortly prior to his announcement. Sources familiar with the situation told CNN that she displayed a Politico graphic, which reportedly sparked anger in the president and contributed to the ban.

On Friday, Trump publicly declared that he was banning the three outlets immediately, making the announcement via a post on Truth Social:

I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (the recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them “alive.” Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant “reporting” FAKE NEWS!

CNN later reported that the announcement caught many of Trump’s advisers off guard, including those who usually interact with reporters. The network also indicated that the president was feeling frustrated about negative media coverage regarding recent court decisions, congressional actions, and the outlook for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.

Some senior advisors were reportedly away from the West Wing during Trump’s announcement. Chief of staff Susie Wiles was not present, and Vice President JD Vance was returning from an event in Iowa.

The ban was enforced on Saturday, when journalists from the banned outlets were restricted from entering the White House grounds. A notable incident involved CNN reporter Betsy Klein having her credentials revoked.

The three news organizations promptly filed a lawsuit on Monday to regain access, arguing that the revocation of their credentials was a direct response to their reporting. They issued a joint statement asserting, “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.”

In the meantime, Trump remarked that the banned outlets could have their access reinstated if they were able to “straighten themselves out.”