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President Donald Trump announced the ban in a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, accusing the three outlets of constantly writing or reporting fiction and lies without providing specific examples. “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,” Trump wrote, adding that other fake news media outlets would follow. The announcement was confirmed across multiple outlets including Reuters and Bloomberg.
The precise scope of the ban was not detailed in the post, leaving unclear whether it would revoke credentials, bar entry to the grounds or exclude the outlets from briefings and press pools. Reporters from CNN and Politico remained on the White House grounds shortly after the announcement, according to the BBC. The affected news organizations and the National Press Club did not immediately provide comment when contacted by several publications.
Trump has repeatedly clashed with the White House press corps since returning to office in January 2025, a pattern that has marked his second term from the outset. The latest restrictions add to measures that have limited traditional media access in various settings. The Guardian characterized the overall approach as an unprecedented restriction on major news organizations.
The president previously removed the Associated Press from press pools for Oval Office events and Air Force One travel after the agency continued referring to the Gulf of Mexico rather than adopting the administration’s preferred “Gulf of America” terminology. That step, taken last year, formed part of broader tensions over coverage and language, as detailed by Reuters. Trump has long branded reporting he dislikes as fake news.
The move is expected to trigger legal challenges citing First Amendment protections for a free press that bar the government from arbitrarily restricting media access. Al Jazeera reported that the ban will probably be contested before the end of the day, noting that past presidents including Richard Nixon had considered similar steps. Press freedom organizations are anticipated to join any litigation.
In the Truth Social post, Trump claimed MS NOW had changed its name from MSNBC due to low viewership and credibility while alleging Politico had received an illegal $8 million government subscription under the prior administration. TheWrap reported that the MS NOW rebrand actually resulted from a 2025 corporate spinoff separating it from NBCUniversal. Trump described the Politico subscription as corruption without offering further evidence in the announcement.
