CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued US President Donald Trump and members of his administration over a decision to ban the outlets from White House grounds, arguing that the move violates their rights to free speech and a free press under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
The news organisations are seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court in Washington DC, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Their lawsuit describes the ban as “a more direct assault on the First Amendment” and warns that, if left unchallenged, it could threaten press freedom and the public’s access to independent journalism.
Trump announced the ban on Friday on social media, accusing the three outlets of repeatedly reporting “FICTION and LIES” about the President. On Monday, he defended the decision again, saying the White House was not attacking the free press but “FAKE NEWS”. He also described the outlets as a threat to national security, although the source text provides no evidence of a national security threat.
The dispute has already disrupted the system through which television networks jointly cover the president. CNN is one of five organisations — alongside ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — that make up the primary White House television pool. The networks share the costs of presidential coverage, rotate responsibility for organising it and distribute footage to broadcasters across the country.
CNN had been scheduled to cover Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Monday but was unable to provide the pool feed. The other major television networks subsequently suspended presidential pool coverage, saying they would not establish a replacement pool. The decision removes a major shared source of video coverage at a time when Trump is due to meet numerous world leaders during the General Assembly and host Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington later in the week.
The White House nevertheless continued its own coverage. On Monday evening, it launched a “Trump TV” stream featuring videos and highlights of what it described as achievements of the administration. A 60-second trailer showed Trump’s 2024 presidential victory, while the first video streamed was his July 3 remarks at Mount Rushmore. The platform had about 8,000 live views 15 minutes after its launch.
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the new platform made the administration’s intentions clearer, describing it as “a steady diet of government propaganda”. During a White House ribbon-cutting ceremony for Trump’s new Marine One helipad on Monday, the administration promoted its own live stream as an alternative to the television pool, but the audio was inaudible.
The confrontation comes amid an increasingly hostile relationship between Trump and major news organisations. The source text says Trump has disrupted longstanding practices by restricting access to major outlets, attacking journalists over their reporting and elevating organisations viewed as more sympathetic to his administration. He has also pursued lawsuits against multiple news organisations and urged the Federal Communications Commission to strip licences from disfavoured broadcasters.
The dispute also has an electoral dimension. Trump’s party is seeking to retain narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections, while polls show declining public support for Republicans and Trump’s approval ratings near historic lows. A person familiar with the matter said Trump had been “very unhappy” with coverage of the midterm elections, with his frustration intensified by a recent Supreme Court ruling blocking his attempt to limit mail-in voting.
The latest lawsuit follows earlier clashes. Trump last year barred the Associated Press from the presidential pool after the news agency did not adopt his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico, prompting the AP to sue. His administration has also restricted access for journalists at the Pentagon. During his first term, federal judges ordered the restoration of White House press credentials for CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and Playboy correspondent Brian Karem after the administration sought to remove them.
The case has been assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, appointed by Trump in 2017. Kelly previously ruled against Trump in 2018 in the Acosta case. As the lawsuit proceeds, the dispute over three news organisations has widened into a broader confrontation over presidential access, the independence of the press and the government’s role in determining which journalists can report from the White House.
