MS NOW journalists were turned away from the White House grounds after President Trump vowed to bar three news organizations from the building in what would represent an unprecedented purge of the press.
In a Friday post on Truth Social, Trump said CNN, MS NOW and Politico would no longer be permitted inside the White House, dismissing the outlets as “fake news.”
When reporters later challenged him about the decision in the Oval Office, Trump repeated his criticism. He pointed to a “cumulation of stories over the past few years” that he said he had grown “sick of.”
By early Saturday, MS NOW said the restriction was already in effect and that its journalists had been barred from entering the grounds.
“The White House belongs to the American people, and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars,” the network said in a statement.
“MS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.
“We stand firmly behind our anchors, our reporters and our newsroom. We will continue reporting on the president, the administration and the issues affecting the American people.”
Trump told reporters Friday that he wanted the outlets to “get better.” Until then, he said, “somebody has got to keep them away.”
President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that the three news outlets had published a “cumulation of stories over the past few years” that he had grown “sick of.”
MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner was seen reporting from outside the White House after being denied entry.
Trump discussed the ban during an Oval Office briefing on pharmaceutical drug pricing Friday, after first announcing the decision on Truth Social.
“Media outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” he warned in his initial Truth Social post.
On Saturday morning, MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner reported from outside the grounds, saying a security guard told her that her press badge had been disabled.
“I asked why I was not able to get inside. He said it was above him,” Gardner told viewers.
Gardner said an MS NOW photographer was also refused entry, although one of her producer’s badges remained active and allowed the producer to enter.
Trump has also indicated that other news organizations could face similar treatment. He called The New York Times and The Washington Post “fake news” and described the newspapers as “crummy.”
“We’re probably not going to display the paper anymore in the White House. We haven’t taken the step of throwing them out,” he said.
As word of the decision spread, reporters at the White House were overheard asking whether it was merely a “Trump hissy fit” or an order that would actually be enforced.
It remained unclear whether CNN journalists had also been denied access to the grounds. Politico reporters are generally not present at the White House on Saturdays.
Reporters walk near the area known as “Pebble Beach” on the north side of the White House after news broke that Trump planned to bar several outlets.
The President’s decision has been widely condemned across the partisan aisle. Multiple anchors on Fox News, which is typically a favorite network of Trump’s, even slammed the ban as an attack on the press.
Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley called the ban ‘an assault on long-honored principles of a free press,’ while political analyst Guy Benson called it ‘exhausting.’
The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) said banning news outlets infringed on Constitutional rights.
‘This is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation’s highest office,’ WHCA President and Fox News White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich said.
‘The WHCA stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and Politico who are being singled out for doing their jobs.’
Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, agreed that the ban was ‘flatly unconstitutional’ and would likely be struck down if challenged in court.
CNN has also been banned from the White House. Their booth is pictured above before the decision was announced
Journalists were seen working at the White House on Friday after Trump announced a ban on three outlets. The decision has been widely condemned across the political spectrum
Politico journalists typically are not at the White House on Saturday. CNN has yet to address whether its reporters were denied access following the ban
Trump previously lashed out at the press back in February of 2025 when he barred AP reporters from White House coverage after the outlet decided not to enact his name change from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The news organization filed a lawsuit and that case is still pending.
Trump has had a contentious relationship with the media for quite some time, and no outlets have escaped his wrath. He has targeted the Wall Street Journal, the BBC and the New York Times.
Trump has often sparred with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in the Oval Office, calling her questions ‘dumb’ and telling her to ‘smile more.’
Our News Outlet has reached out to the White House for comment.
