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MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner and a photographer were turned away from the White House grounds on Saturday morning when their badges would not scan at security checkpoints, according to the outlet. A Secret Service officer confiscated the credentials after telling Gardner the badges had been disabled, she reported on air. CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein said a Secret Service agent informed her that her badge had been deactivated while Politico reported that its White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was denied entry with her pass revoked by Secret Service officers.
President Donald Trump announced the ban on Truth Social on Friday, stating that the outlets constantly write fiction or lies about his administration, according to multiple reports including from The New York Times. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office later that day, Trump said there is something wrong with a country that allows people to write purposely negative stories and that he does not have to let them into the people’s house, The New York Times reported. He indicated that other outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post could face similar measures, according to a Politico assessment of the announcement.
Many senior White House staff members were surprised by the directive, which was issued while chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of town, three people close to the administration told Politico. One person familiar with discussions in the West Wing told the outlet that the ban is real and permanent as far as the president is concerned. The action represents an escalation in Trump’s long-running disputes with news organizations he has labeled as fake news, Politico reported.
CNN said in a statement that the ban constitutes an illegal assault on its constitutional right to report on the U.S. government without hindrance or interference. Politico stated that it will continue to fairly report on this White House and will vigorously defend its First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them, the organization reported. MS NOW said it intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend its First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in democracy, according to its statement.
The White House Correspondents’ Association condemned the restrictions, noting that constitutional protections of a free press do not depend on whether a president likes a news organization’s coverage, USA Today reported. Press freedom advocates described the move as unconstitutional, according to accounts from the BBC and AP News. The developments come as Trump’s approval ratings remain near or at record lows with Republicans facing strong headwinds ahead of November’s midterm elections, USA Today figures show.
The episode echoes steps taken during Trump’s first term when the administration revoked a White House pass for CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, a restriction that was overturned after a court challenge, The New York Times reported. In the current term the administration has limited Associated Press access to the Oval Office and presidential travel over a naming dispute, leading to ongoing litigation that has partially restored some access, according to The New York Times. Journalists from the three outlets had been working as usual on the White House grounds Friday before enforcement of the ban began the following morning.
