Trump says he’s banning three media outlets from the White House. Is it legal?

WorldPolitics
19 Sep 2026 • 4:58 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Trump says he’s banning three media outlets from the White House. Is it legal?

  • President Donald Trump says he is banning three major media outlets from the White House in his latest attack on the free press.
  • “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!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.
  • He continued, “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. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
  • Legal precedent from the 1977 D.C. Circuit Court case Sherrill v. Knight establishes that the president lacks the authority to arbitrarily ban journalists based on content, limiting press credential denials strictly to physical security threats.
  • Despite the president's declared ban, it remains unconfirmed whether White House staff have attempted enforcement, as CNN reporters and technical crews were observed actively working on the White House campus on Friday.

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