Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico are banned from White House
Donald Trump says he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, effective immediately.
He issued the notice in a social media post on Friday afternoon. Variety reported the announcement on 18 September 2026, the most recent published account of the post.
The post opened with the line: "I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW". That exact opening was carried in the same form by several newsrooms reporting the post on the same day. CBS News was among those that published the wording on 18 September.
Trump gave the reason for the ban as constant reporting of fake news. That explanation came in the same post as the ban itself, according to Variety's report on the announcement.
He added that other fake news media outlets would follow. He did not name any additional outlets in the material reported so far, and no date was given for any further action.
Trump also noted in the announcement that MSNOW recently changed its name from MSNBC. Audacy reported that reference to the new name on 18 September.
For readers meeting these names for the first time, all three are American news organisations. CNN and MSNOW are television news channels that broadcast news and political coverage. Politico is a politics-focused news organisation that publishes online and in print. A ban from the White House, in plain terms, means loss of access to the building where the United States president works and lives and where accredited reporters regularly ask questions.
CBS News reported Trump's announcement on 18 September 2026, listing the three organisations as CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The New York Post carried the same list on the same date, with the same immediate start. A Times of Israel liveblog entry also carried the same opening line from the post on 18 September.
The agreement across those reports matters. Each published the same opening words and the same list of three organisations. Variety's report, as the latest dated account, is used here as the authoritative version of what was said and when.
What makes this stand out for viewers is simple. White House access decides which reporters can be inside the building to ask questions and file reports from the room. A change to that list changes who is in the room for the next briefing, the next appearance and the next question.
