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Sen. Bernie Sanders and former House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to bar CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, calling it a threat to press freedom and a warning sign for American democracy.
Reporters Denied Access a Day After Ban Announced
Trump announced the ban Friday in a social media post, saying the outlets published “FAKE NEWS.” The consequences followed quickly. On Saturday, journalists from all three outlets said they were turned away from White House grounds. MS NOW reported that a reporter and a cameraman were denied entry early that morning, with the U.S. Secret Service confiscating their press badges at a security gate outside the West Wing.
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CNN and Politico said their reporters faced similar treatment.
Broader Crackdown on the Press
Reacting on X, Sanders said Trump “is threatening that more news organizations who criticize him, including the New York Times and Washington Post, will be next,” adding, “We will not accept authoritarianism.”
Trump has now banned CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from entering the White House grounds.
That’s not all. He is threatening that more news organizations who criticize him, including the New York Times and Washington Post, will be next.
Why? Because when demagogues like Trump are…
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 19, 2026
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Pelosi said press freedom “is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment — not granted at the pleasure of the President.”
Freedom of the press is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment—not granted at the pleasure of the President.
The free press represents the people, and Trump doesn’t get to decide that they can’t cover his presidency because he doesn’t approve of their reporting.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) September 19, 2026
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the ban was part of what he described as a broader pattern, citing actions including ‘seizing ballots’ and ‘deploying troops into American cities.’
Seizing ballots.
Taking stakes in private companies.
Deploying troops into American cities.
Banning news from the White House.
The stakes could not be clearer. This November, VOTE.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 19, 2026
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WHCA President Cites Legal Precedent, Demands Access Be Restored
White House Correspondents’ Association President Jacqui Heinrich also responded to the incident. She said revoking access for journalists violates the First Amendment, warning that “a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future.”
Heinrich said courts have repeatedly held that once the White House provides press access, it cannot deny that access arbitrarily or based on the content of reporting and called on the administration to “immediately restore” her colleagues’ access.
Today’s action revoking access for journalists from CNN, POLITICO, and MSNOW violates the First Amendment. The implications extend beyond these organizations: a standard used to exclude one news outlet because of its coverage could be applied to any outlet in the future. The…
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) September 19, 2026
This is not the first time Trump has clashed with the press. His administration previously barred The Associated Press after it refused to use the term “Gulf of America.” During his first term, the administration also revoked CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, a decision that was later overturned in court.
Photo Courtesy: Rich Koele on Shutterstock.com
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