Journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico were denied access to the White House grounds on Sept. 19 after President Donald Trump announced a ban on the outlets the day before.
Trump said on Truth Social Sept. 18 that he was, effective immediately, banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
The president added: “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. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
Akayla Gardner, a White House correspondent for MS NOW, said that her press pass was revoked at the third gate she passed through to enter the grounds on the morning of Sept. 19.
“Once I was inside where we have magnetometers, I attempted to scan my badge, which we have to do to be able to get into the White House grounds,” Gardner said during a live broadcast on MS NOW.
“It did not work. There was a red beeping light, and so the officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled.”
Gardner said the officer on duty wasn’t able to explain specifically why her badge did not work, allegedly saying the decision “was above him.”
Gardner’s badge and her photographer’s badge were both then “taken” away from them by security, she said. However, an MS NOW producer’s pass was approved, and the employee was still able to go inside, Gardner said.
MS NOW defended its team and newsroom in a statement on the morning of Sept. 19, saying the media channel plans to take “any and all steps necessary” to defend its First Amendment rights.
“The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars,” MS NOW stated on social media.
The outlet stated that it will continue reporting on the Trump administration, even if its reporters are not allowed on White House grounds.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media alongside posters of his proposed White House ballroom amid construction at the White House in Washington, on May 19, 2026. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“We have 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,” a Sept. 19 statement by CNN read.
CNN stated that it will “continue to report on the actions and processes of this administration without fear or favor.”
POLITICO editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger shared in the publication’s daily newsletter Playbook that the company’s White House reporter, Cheyenne Haslett, was also locked out on Sept. 19.
“Secret Service denied her entry to the complex and confiscated the pass that allows her access to the White House,” the statement read.
“We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House. As we said yesterday, we will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”
President Donald Trump takes questions during a press briefing at the White House shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on April 25, 2026. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
“The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference,” Heinrich wrote in a statement on Sept. 19.
“That protection does not depend on whether the president likes a news organization’s coverage, agrees with its reporting, or approves of the questions its journalists ask.”
Trump’s decision received praise from War Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
“The Department of War fully supports President Trump’s decision to kick CNN, MSN̶B̶C̶NOW and Politico to the curb so they can publish their Fake News from outside the White House,” Hegseth wrote in an X post on Sept. 18.
“We are grateful these outlets already chose to self-deport from the Pentagon. They endangered our troops with false stories, leaks, and trafficked in fiction and lies about the President, our Warriors, and their mission.”
Hegseth was referring to the Pentagon’s tightening of media access to its building in 2025 with guidelines that required reporters to sign a document pledging not to disclose unauthorized information in the interest of national security.
In early 2025, Trump briefly blocked an Associated Press reporter from the Oval Office after the outlet declined to change its stylebook to reflect the president’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
