CNN, MS NOW, Politico reporters denied access to White House following Trump ban

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts towards members of the media after a courtesy call with Irish President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin on September 12, 2026 in Dublin, Ireland. Charles McQuillan/Getty Images Europe hide caption

WASHINGTON— Reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico on Saturday said they were denied access to White House grounds after President Trump announced a ban on the three media outlets.

Trump said in a Truth Social post on Friday he was banning these outlets from the White House, citing negative coverage of his administration and saying media outlets shouldn't be able to constantly report "FICTION and LIES" when they cover the president of the United States. He warned other news outlets would follow. It's Trump's latest move in an ongoing battle against the media .

On Friday afternoon, a Bloomberg News reporter asked Trump about the ban at a press conference and whether he was trying to intimidate the press. "No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you're terrible," Trump responded.

He also said: "They purposely write negative news, and they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration." Trump said there was no specific news story that led to his decision, instead it was a frustration that had built up over the last two years.

On Saturday morning, MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, said in a statement on X that their journalists were unable to access the White House grounds. MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner said on air that she was denied access to the White House, and an officer asked her to "hand over" her badge because it was "disabled."

"I asked why I was not able to get inside," Gardner said. "He said it was above him."

However, Gardner said an MS NOW producer was able to access the grounds. MS NOW said they will continue to report on the president.