CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters were denied White House entry and had press passes revoked a day after President Trump banned the three outlets over their coverage.

White House reporters from three major news organizations were denied entry to the White House grounds on Saturday, a day after President Donald Trump announced he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the property over their coverage of him.

The move marks a sharp escalation in the president's long-running conflict with the mainstream press and sets up a fresh test of the First Amendment's protections for a free press.

Reporters blocked and passes confiscated

CBS News observed an MS NOW correspondent and cameraman being turned away from the White House at around 8 a.m. on Saturday. Both had their press passes revoked. White House reporter Akayla Gardner said she was told her pass had been disabled when she tried to swipe in; when she asked why, a security guard told her the matter was above him, according to her account on MS NOW.

CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein and a cameraman were also seen trying to enter the grounds and eventually leaving without their badges. Politico said in its morning newsletter that White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was stopped by the Secret Service and had her pass confiscated.

The outlets condemned the action. "The White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars," MS NOW said in a statement, adding that it "intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy."

CNN said its "mission to report on the U.S. government will continue regardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and other government buildings." The network called the ban "an illegal assault" on its constitutional right to report without government interference.

Politico editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger told the newsroom that the outlet would "vigorously defend" its First Amendment rights and stands by Haslett and its White House team.

Trump cites 'fake news'

On Friday, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the three outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States." He added, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow."

Speaking later in the Oval Office, the president said the ban was a response to "cumulative stories" by the outlets. "You get sick of it," he said. He did not identify any specific stories, according to CBS News.

The White House referred reporters to the president's earlier comments.

Legal questions and precedent

The White House Correspondents' Association said the revocation of the press passes "violates the First Amendment" and called on the administration to immediately restore access. Its president, Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich, warned that the implications extend beyond the three outlets: "a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future."

CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson said the ban "smacks of content-based discrimination," which she described as the primary practice the First Amendment guards against.

Trump has frequently clashed with the press. Last year his administration took steps to bar the Associated Press from White House coverage after the outlet declined to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." The AP sued, and in April 2025 a federal judge ruled the White House must restore its access to presidential spaces, though a federal appeals court later allowed the administration to temporarily exclude the AP from smaller restricted areas. That dispute is ongoing.

During Trump's first term, the White House tried to revoke the press pass of then-CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after a testy exchange with the president. CNN filed suit, and a federal judge ordered Acosta's pass restored.

It remains unclear how many other outlets could face similar restrictions. Trump has threatened to bar additional organizations but has made no further announcements as of Saturday.