U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
Trump announced on Truth Social that the three outlets were banned “effective immediately”, accusing them of repeatedly publishing false information about his administration.
Speaking later in the Oval Office, Trump defended the decision and suggested the list could grow.
“There’s a lot of news and there may be others to join them,” he said, adding that the media needed to provide what he considered honest coverage.
Trump did not identify which organisations could be targeted next, although he criticised The New York Times and The Washington Post while speaking to reporters.
It remained unclear how the White House planned to implement the restrictions.
Trump said he did not want the targeted organisations in his office or the White House and that the ban would go “as far as you can”. However, reporters from the organisations were still working from the White House complex on Friday afternoon.
CNN said it stood behind its White House journalists and their reporting, arguing that any implementation of the ban would violate constitutionally protected press freedoms. Politico also said it would defend its First Amendment rights.
The announcement is the latest confrontation between the Trump administration and news organisations over access to the White House.
During Trump’s first term, the administration revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials in 2018 following a contentious exchange with the president. CNN challenged the decision in court and Acosta’s access was restored.
The administration has also restricted Associated Press access to some presidential events during Trump’s current term, prompting an ongoing legal dispute.
Press freedom advocates have raised similar constitutional concerns about Friday’s announcement, arguing that the government cannot exclude journalists from access because it objects to their reporting.
Trump, however, maintained that news organisations deliberately publishing what he considers inaccurate or negative coverage should not automatically be granted access to the White House.
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