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GLOBAL UNITED STATES POLITICS POLICY

Trump Sued for White House Ban of MS NOW, CNN, and Politico

REL_TIME: 23 Sep 2026 03:12Z · LANG: EN

// Disseminate
Trump Sued for White House Ban of MS NOW, CNN, and Politico
The White House · Public domain · source

MS NOW, CNN, and Politico filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump and members of his administration on Monday to overturn a ban that barred their journalists from entering the White House. The ban, announced by Trump on Truth Social following grievances over coverage, prompted widespread protests, including a joint decision by major television networks to suspend pool coverage of presidential events. Amid the dispute, the White House launched a 24/7 streaming channel called "Trump TV: The Essentials Station," while federal judge Timothy Kelly scheduled a hearing on a temporary restraining order for Wednesday afternoon.

// Background

The dispute follows ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and mainstream media outlets over critical reporting. It mirrors a previous 2018 legal battle where CNN successfully sued to restore Jim Acosta's press credentials, as well as a separate active lawsuit involving The Associated Press over partial workspace bans inside the White House.

// Key Developments

  • MS NOW, CNN, and Politico filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., challenging their total White House ban.
  • Major news networks, including Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC, as well as outlets like The New York Times and NPR, suspended pool coverage of presidential events in solidarity.
  • The White House launched a round-the-clock streaming service named "Trump TV: The Essentials Station" to bypass traditional media.
  • U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly scheduled a videoconference hearing for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET regarding the outlets' request for a temporary restraining order.
  • The lawsuit alleges violations of the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

// Timeline

  1. President Trump declares a ban on MS NOW, CNN, and Politico from working at the White House via a Truth Social post.

  2. Journalists from the three banned outlets are denied entry to the White House and have their hard passes confiscated by the Secret Service.

  3. MS NOW, CNN, and Politico officially file a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., seeking a temporary restraining order.

  4. Judge Timothy Kelly orders the Department of Justice to respond by Tuesday and schedules a hearing for Wednesday.

  5. The White House launches its 24/7 video streaming channel, "Trump TV: The Essentials Station," while TV networks suspend pool coverage.

// Perspectives

[MS NOW, CNN, and Politico]

Argue that the ban is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment and Due Process Clause, retaliating against protected newsgathering and imposing viewpoint discrimination.

[Donald Trump and the White House Administration]

Defend the ban as a justified response to years of false, defamatory, and biased reporting by "fake news" outlets, maintaining that press access is a privilege rather than an entitlement.

[Media industry and press freedom groups]

Condemn the ban as a severe threat to press freedom, leading to unprecedented solidarity actions such as suspending shared pool audio, video, and photography.

// Quotes

“This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.”

[Legal counsel / Plaintiffs' complaint] — From the civil complaint filed by MS NOW, CNN, and Politico in federal court.

“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.”

[Donald Trump] — In a Truth Social post responding to the lawsuit and defending the ban.

“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”

[White House television pool (via Bryan Boughton)] — From a joint statement announcing the suspension of shared pool coverage in protest of the ban.

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