President Donald Trump closed the White House doors to three news organizations on Friday. CNN, MS Now and Politico all appeared on his list, and he made the ban effective immediately in a written statement.
Trump opened the post with a declaration of pride in the move: “I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW” and Politico.
He gave one reason for all three outlets. Trump pointed to what he called their “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” as the cause of the ban.
The president singled out MS Now next. He wrote that the network “recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!”
Politico drew a separate charge tied to federal money. Trump wrote that the outlet received “an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription” from the U.S. government under Joe Biden, and he added, “Seems like corruption to me!”
Trump described the sum as “an All Time Record” and wrote that it flowed “in order to keep them ‘alive.'”
In the post, Trump referred to the former president as “Crooked Joe Biden.”
Trump’s statement gave each outlet its own criticism: the “Fake News” label for CNN, a remark about the name change at MS Now, and a charge about federal money against Politico.
Trump then set a wider standard for press coverage of his administration.
“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,” he added.
The threat extended beyond those three outlets. Trump warned that others could face similar consequences.
The sequence played out across two days. Trump announced the ban Friday, and on Saturday a Secret Service agent confiscated the press badge of a CNN correspondent.
The correspondent, Betsy Klein, covers the White House for CNN. She reported from the sidewalk outside the building after being denied entry.
Klein explained how entry normally works for her when she goes to work at the White House. On her latest attempt, she said, her press badge did not accept her PIN.
A Secret Service agent asked to see the badge and told her it had been “deactivated.”
The agent confiscated the badge and directed Klein to the White House press office for further information.
Klein then talked with CNN’s Kasie Hunt and Brian Stelter, declaring, “We can do our job anywhere.”
Klein made those remarks during street reporting outside the White House.
At one point, a bystander heckled the CNN crew, saying, “Tell the truth!”
CNN said it is seeking additional information on how the restrictions will affect its coverage.
The network wants to know whether its reporters will be allowed to cover Trump when he travels outside the White House.
The network has argued that the administration’s action violates the First Amendment.
“CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” the network said in its statement.
CNN also cited the U.S. Constitution in that statement.
The network added that it has “a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right.”
For now, CNN has laid out two positions: it is asking how far the restrictions reach, and it says the ban breaks the First Amendment.
Some Republican-aligned accounts online responded to Klein’s remark. They pointed to the declaration that CNN and other outlets can report on the White House from anywhere.
Those accounts said the outlet’s “terms are acceptable.”
Press access was also at issue last year, when the White House barred Associated Press reporters from certain presidential events.
The move came after the news organization continued to use “Gulf of Mexico” in its reporting rather than “Gulf of America.”
The White House argued at the time that it had discretion over which journalists received access to presidential events.
The dispute reached a US District Judge, who ruled that the administration had violated the First Amendment.
