US President Donald Trump said onFriday he is banning three major news outlets – CNN, MS NOW and Politico – fromthe White House in his latest threat to the independent press.

The move is almost ​certain to facelegal challenges as free speech experts said it conflicts with the USConstitution’s First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.

Trump accused the outlets of “reportingFAKE ‌NEWS” in a social media post, and said they “shouldn’t be able toconstantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the Presidentof the United States.” Trump added, “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

Representatives of all threeoutlets could be seen working in the White House on Friday afternoon followingTrump’s post. The White House was informing all three they would be banned fromthe White House grounds as of Saturday, Fox News reported, citing an unnamedsenior White House official.

Trump said there was ​no specificincident that prompted the ban, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “It’sreally just cumulative stories over the past few years.”

Trump added, “I don’t have to letthem into my, into the people’s house.”

When ​asked what he meant by others“to follow,” Trump mentioned the New York Times and Washington Post as what hecalled “fake news.”

The extent of the ban announced by ⁠Trump was notimmediately clear, and the legality of any move could depend on its scope.

Courts have given presidents broaddiscretion over selective access to events such as Oval Office meetings andsmall press pools, while broader ​exclusions from generally available WhiteHouse press facilities or credentials could face stronger challenges under theFirst Amendment and constitutional protections for due process.

Trump’s move came weeks ahead ofthe November 3 midterm elections in which Trump’s ​fellow Republicans aredefending narrow majorities in Congress. Reuters/Ipsos polls show the publicsouring on Republicans, as Trump’s own approval ratings stand near historiclows amid the deeply unpopular Iran war he kicked off that has sent energyprices soaring.

Decades of tradition

The Trump administration hasupended decades of tradition in dealings between the White House and press,cutting back the access many major news organizations have had to the presidentwhile elevating the presence of new media outlets seen as more sympathetic tothe administration.

CNN in a statement ​said it standsbehind its journalists who cover the White House.

“We have a right under the USConstitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from thegovernment,” CNN said in a statement. “Should the ban ​which President Trumpthreatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental andconstitutionally protected right.”

Politico said on X that it would “continueto fairly report on this White House and future ones.”

“We will vigorously defend ourFirst Amendment ‌rights against any ⁠attempt to restrict them,” Politico said.

MS NOW declined to comment.

“It’s difficult to imagine a moreblatant violation of the First Amendment than Trump banning news outlets fromthe People’s House for criticizing the government,” Seth Stern, chief ofadvocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement.

Jameel Jaffer, executive directorof the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the FirstAmendment prohibits the president from punishing journalists because he doesnot like their coverage.

“If President Trump means to expelthese news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doublyunconstitutional because the press pool is a ‘public forum’ under the FirstAmendment, which means the president can’t ​exclude journalists from it on thebasis of their ​viewpoints,” Jaffer said in a statement.

Tabloid history

Trump rose ⁠to fame as a NewYork developer skilled in getting the city’s tabloid newspapers to cover hissocial life, and went on to build his profile as a reality televisionpersonality before making a serious push into politics.

Since his successful 2016 campaign,Trump has regularly criticized the press, stepping up his complaints during hissecond term ​in office. He has repeatedly urged broadcasters to drop comedy ornews programs he dislikes or which have joked about or criticized him or hisadministration, calling ​on the Federal Communications Commission ⁠to stripdisfavored broadcast stations of their licenses.

Trump has filed several lawsuitsagainst the press, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, theBBC and the Des Moines Register. The suits can have a chilling effect. Hisdefamation suits against ABC and CBS were settled for $15 million and $16million, respectively.

In his first term, Trump’s WhiteHouse sought to revoke or suspend the credentials of Playboy correspondentBrian Karem and CNN’s Jim Acosta, but federal judges ordered their ⁠White House press ​passesrestored.

Since returning to the presidencyin January 2025, Trump has openly badgered reporters, particularly from UStelevision networks.

Last year, he also ​banned theAssociated Press from the usual pool of reporters that cover his movementsbecause the news agency did not adopt Trump’s preferred name for the Gulf ofMexico, which Trump has instructed executive branch employees to refer to asthe Gulf of America.