President Donald Trump again criticized the press after a federal judge ordered him to lift a ban that had barred CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House. The court’s order, issued by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly on September 24, required the administration to temporarily restore the outlets’ press passes, allowing reporters to return to the White House grounds.
In a series of early‑morning posts on Truth Social, Trump questioned why journalists should have access to the “very sacred” White House. He called the three networks “perpetrators of FAKE NEWS” and asserted that almost 100 % of coverage of his administration was negative. Within a few hours he intensified his condemnation, declaring that fake news should not be allowed in the White House and that the ban represented a “tremendous cost to our country.”
The ban was first announced on September 18, after Trump’s aide presented him with videos of unflattering coverage. CNN, MS NOW and Politico reported that their reporters were stopped from entering the White House and were asked to surrender their badges. The outlets sued on September 21, arguing that the ban violated the First and Fifth Amendments and demanded the restoration of press credentials.
Despite the judge’s order, the White House announced on September 25 that CNN would not be allowed on Air Force One for President Trump’s trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, to watch a college football game. Instead, the flight’s media list included LindellTV, a conservative platform founded by Trump ally Mike Lindell, and Real America’s Voice. Trump told reporters that he “loves an open free press” but that the banned outlets were “fake news 100 percent.”
