The White House insists President Donald Trump acted within his power when he removed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico “after years of false reporting.”
The presidency, in a statement on Monday, said the First Amendment protects their right to publish but does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool.
The White House accused critics of acting as though the restriction is new, saying the outrage was due to the sanction of outlets “friendly to the Radical Left.”
The president’s office recalled how Democrat administrations “locked out the press,” including in 2009 when the Obama White House barred Fox News from a round of exclusive Sunday show interviews.
Other cited instances occurred between 2008 and 2023, when the Biden administration restricted more than 440 reporters from White House access through a new, retroactive press credentialing process.
The White House said during Trump’s second term, 92% of coverage by mainstream outlets was negative compared to nearly 60% positive coverage during the same period under Biden.
The Trump administration described the situation as “more like a political operation with cameras than a free press holding power to account.”
“No President is required to host a hostile operation on the grounds,” the statement added. “Access has always been a privilege — and President Trump is applying that rule.”
Meanwhile, major television networks have suspended their White House pool coverage and will no longer send camera crews to cover President Trump’s pool events.
The action by ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News saw reduced media presence as Trump launched the new White House helicopter landing pad on Monday.
United States Senator Edward Markey condemned the media restriction, stating that freedom of the press is essential to the functioning of America’s democracy.
“Trump’s ban on CNN, MSNOW, and Politico will have a chilling effect on all expression,” he wrote on X. “It’s authoritarian and unconstitutional.”
White House defends Trump media ban as TV networks halt coverage