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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted a legal filing on Tuesday arguing that President Donald Trump has the right to ban media outlets from the White House, dubiously citing issues of “national security.”
Trump announced the ban — which affects CNN, MS NOW, and Politico — in a Truth Social post on Friday, claiming he was banning the outlets as a “result of their constant ‘reporting’ [of] FAKE NEWS!”
Notably, Trump has a long history of describing reporting that portrays him in a negative light as “fake,” even when the reporting is factual.
In a subsequent post over the weekend, Trump again alleged that the news agencies utilized fake reports, claiming that such reporting is “a threat to our National Security” that “must be stopped.”
Trump’s posts were cited by the DOJ in a legal filing responding to a joint lawsuit from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. The suit seeks to put a stay on Trump’s attempt to block their access to the White House.
The DOJ argues that such access is a “privilege” that news agencies enjoy, and states that presidents have the legal authority to block whoever they want.
“Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” the DOJ filing forcefully claims, adding that Trump can enforce “minimum standards for bona fide journalists and safeguarding national security information.”
The filing also argues that these news orgs were unprofessional through their use of anonymous sources to publish stories about the White House — a practice that has existed for decades, if not longer, and which Trump himself has utilized in the past to criticize his political opponents.
Attempting to prove Trump’s order should remain in place, the filing cites CNN’s reporting on a bunker underneath Trump’s planned East Wing ballroom; MS NOW’s reporting on the White House’s investigation into leaks; and Politico’s reporting on Secret Service funds being used to help pay for security improvements in the planned ballroom.
It is unclear how the outlets’ reporting on these subjects detrimentally affects national security — indeed, the reports contain information that the American public may have a vested interest in. Observers also noted that some of the reports cited in the filing are a matter of public record.
Ryan Goodman, co-editor-in-chief of Just Security, described the reporting cited in the filing as “core First Amendment protected reporting.”
The DOJ “gives an example of ‘In August 2026, MSNOW claimed that the Iran conflict had ‘significantly depleted’ the US military’s munitions supply.’ What was the MSNOW source for that claim? This document, which is published in the Federal Register,” Goodman wrote, sharing the document in his Bluesky post.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump attacked members of the press at the United Nations, where he was set to give a speech. When CNN’s Kaitlan Collins tried to ask the president about the war in Iran, he responded: “I’m surprised CNN is here is covering me. You shouldn’t be here.”
“The United Nations allowed us in, sir,” Collins retorted.
“You should not be here covering me,” Trump said. He then wrongly claimed that the network had said it would no longer be reporting on him due to the ban.
Late on Tuesday night — just after the DOJ submitted its response to the joint lawsuit from the news organizations — Trump posted another attack against Collins on Truth Social.
“All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate ‘Reporter,’ Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me,” Trump wrote. “Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations?”
“Why was she there?” Trump added.
Americans largely oppose Trump’s attempt to keep press he doesn’t like out of the White House.
An Economist/YouGov poll published on Tuesday showed respondents the president’s initial Truth Social post announcing the White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Only 32 percent said they approved of the ban, while 58 percent disapproved — including nearly 1 in 2 Americans (49 percent) who said they “strongly disapproved.”
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