Trump treads further on free speech with new journalist bans
The president’s threat against CNN, MS Now, and Politico was real.
The president’s threat against CNN, MS Now, and Politico was real.
byTC Sottek Sep 19, 2026, 1:10 PM EDT
On Friday, the president threatened to ban CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House. It could have just been another one of his Truth Social fever dreams, but it turns out it’s very real. All three publications were turned away from the White House this morning, NPR reports, marking an escalation in the administration’s war on the First Amendment.
Politico tried to get to the bottom of it, asking why now? It reports that “many senior [White House] staff were surprised by the directive” (what’s new?), and that it was done “while chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of town.” Apparently he’s been talked down from this kind of sweeping move before, but Trump has already banned journalists from the White House. In 2025, he barred AP reporters from the White House and Air Force One; the AP sued and is still in litigation over the matter. He also revoked CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s credentials in his first term, though CNN won them back in court. Clearly, the administration is not too worried about adverse judicial rulings.
This isn’t just about a few publications in the White House. It’s part of a broader attack on journalism and the First Amendment that has exploded during Trump’s second term. The Department of Defense (now the Department of War, though that change was not authorized by Congress), has also pushed reporters out of the Pentagon.
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