# White House revokes hard passes of CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 11 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The White House has not stated which specific story or stories prompted the ban.

President Trump announced on Truth Social that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House. The next day, Secret Service deactivated the three outlets' hard passes and turned their reporters away from the grounds.[1]

- Country: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us)
- Where: United States
- Level of government: National
- Tactics: Access bans, Credential control
- Head of government at the time: [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/donald-trump)
- Outcome: Ongoing. The outlets sued on 2026-09-21; a hearing was scheduled.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

On September 18, 2026, Trump announced on Truth Social and at an Oval Office appearance that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, citing accumulated coverage he called "FICTION and LIES." The White House Correspondents' Association, then led by Jacqui Heinrich, said the Constitution's press protections "do not depend on whether the president likes a news organization's coverage." On September 19, Secret Service turned away CNN's Betsy Klein, MS NOW's Akayla Gardner and Politico's Cheyenne Haslett at the White House gates; one reporter said staff told her "they had to take my badge because it was disabled." On September 20, other pool networks declined to fill CNN's rotating pool slot in solidarity, and outlets published explainers on the White House press pool system the ban put at risk.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Litigation pending; CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit in the U.S. District Court for D.C. on 2026-09-21, and a hearing was reported for 2026-09-23.[7]

## What reason was given

President Trump described the outlets' coverage as "FICTION and LIES" and told a Bloomberg reporter the same day, "I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you're terrible." The White House did not identify a specific triggering story.[6]

## What changed for reporting

CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters lost physical access to the White House grounds; their hard passes were deactivated. Other networks declined to cover CNN's rotating pool slot in solidarity, disrupting the shared press-pool feed other outlets rely on.[2]

## Timeline

- 2026-09-18: White House revokes hard passes of CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters
- 2026-09-18: Trump announces CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House
- 2026-09-19: Secret Service deactivates the three outlets' hard passes; reporters denied entry
- 2026-09-19: WHCA statement on the White House's position on CNN, MS NOW and Politico
- 2026-09-20: Other pool networks decline to fill CNN's vacated rotating pool slot
- 2026-09-21: CNN, MS NOW and Politico file suit against Trump and the White House
- 2026-09-23: Hearing scheduled in Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/donald-trump) | announced | President of the United States |
| [Jacqui Heinrich](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/jacqui-heinrich) | other | President, White House Correspondents' Association (2026) |
| [White House Correspondents' Association](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/white-house-correspondents-association) | other | Professional association of accredited White House reporters |
| [White House Press Office](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/white-house-press-office) | enforced | Office of the White House Press Secretary |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [CNN](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/cnn) | outlet | affected |
| [MS NOW](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/ms-now) | outlet | affected |
| [Politico](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/politico) | outlet | affected |
| [Akayla Gardner](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/akayla-gardner) | journalist, MS NOW | affected |
| [Betsy Klein](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/betsy-klein) | journalist, CNN | affected |
| [Cheyenne Haslett](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/cheyenne-haslett) | journalist, Politico | affected |

## Court cases

| Case | Court | Docket | Status | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Sherrill v. Knight](https://thewaronnews.com/cases/sherrill-v-knight-1977) | United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit |  | decided | precedent cited |
| [Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/cases/cnn-msnow-politico-v-trump-2026) | U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia | 1:26-cv-03287 | pending | arising from |

## Sources

1. Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House. https://www.npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5974854/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-ban Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260921004920/https://www.npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5974854/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-ban (NPR, 2026-09-19).
2. Trump claims he will ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/media/trump-claims-ban-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260920205801/https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/media/trump-claims-ban-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house (CNN, 2026-09-18).
3. Statement on White House Position on CNN, MSNOW and Politico. https://whca.press/2026/09/18/statement-on-white-house-position-on-cnn-msnow-and-politico/ (White House Correspondents' Association, 2026-09-18).
4. Trump banning CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House. https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-banning-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/story?id=136569980 Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260921065421/https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-banning-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/story?id=136569980 (ABC News, 2026-09-19).
5. White House Turns Away CNN, MS NOW, Politico Reporters After Trump Announces Ban. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-09-19/white-house-turns-away-cnn-ms-now-politico-reporters-after-trump-announces-ban Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260920082910/https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-09-19/white-house-turns-away-cnn-ms-now-politico-reporters-after-trump-announces-ban (U.S. News & World Report, 2026-09-19).
6. 'A ban on the free press': White House bars journalists from three outlets. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/19/a-ban-on-the-free-press-white-house-bars-journalists-from-three-outlets Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260920010504/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/19/a-ban-on-the-free-press-white-house-bars-journalists-from-three-outlets (Al Jazeera, 2026-09-19).
7. Other networks decline to fill CNN's White House pool slot. https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/20/media/cnn-trump-white-house-pool-ban Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260922112204/https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/20/media/cnn-trump-white-house-pool-ban (CNN Business, 2026-09-20).
8. Did Biden cut off 440 reporters' credentials? PolitiFact rates a viral claim. https://politifact.com/factchecks/2026/sep/21/tiktok-posts/trump-white-house-press-ban-biden-440/ (PolitiFact, 2026-09-21).
9. Major TV networks stand with CNN, decline to replace its White House pool crew. https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/major-tv-networks-stand-with-cnn-decline-to-replace-its-white-house-pool-crew/article_47bdc4b7-11bd-5c5a-a581-dabefc858a0b.html (AP (via ActionNewsNow), 2026-09-20).
10. Judge sets hearing in CNN, MS NOW, Politico lawsuit over Trump ban. https://www.centraloregondaily.com/news/nation-world/judge-sets-hearing-in-cnn-ms-now-politico-lawsuit-over-trump-ban/article_afef5842-6a0a-5b3c-9cb4-f28004c1b323.html (Central Oregon Daily (AP), 2026-09-22).

## Claims cited

[1] Trump announced via Truth Social and at an Oval Office appearance that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House. Quote: "No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press, like you. I think you're terrible" Source: NPR, 2026-09-19. Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House. https://www.npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5974854/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-ban Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260921004920/https://www.npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5974854/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-ban Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/1, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] CNN's, MS NOW's and Politico's White House hard passes were deactivated and their reporters turned away at the gates. Quote: "they said they weren't sure what was going on, but at the end of the day they had to take my badge because it was disabled." Source: ABC News, 2026-09-19. Trump banning CNN, MS NOW, Politico from White House. https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-banning-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/story?id=136569980 Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260921065421/https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-banning-cnn-msnow-politico-white-house/story?id=136569980 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/3, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The White House Correspondents' Association said the Constitution's press protections apply regardless of the president's approval of coverage. Quote: "The Constitution protects the freedom of the press from government interference." Source: White House Correspondents' Association, 2026-09-18. Statement on White House Position on CNN, MSNOW and Politico. https://whca.press/2026/09/18/statement-on-white-house-position-on-cnn-msnow-and-politico/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/90, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] Other television networks declined to put a replacement pool crew in CNN's place after CNN's access was revoked. Quote: "There will be no replacement pool put in place." Source: AP (via ActionNewsNow), 2026-09-20. Major TV networks stand with CNN, decline to replace its White House pool crew. https://www.actionnewsnow.com/news/major-tv-networks-stand-with-cnn-decline-to-replace-its-white-house-pool-crew/article_47bdc4b7-11bd-5c5a-a581-dabefc858a0b.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/91, checked 2026-09-22.

[5] A federal judge set an initial hearing for September 23, 2026 in the lawsuit CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed against Trump. Quote: "A federal judge set an initial court hearing for Wednesday, Sept. 23 in the lawsuit CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed against President Donald Trump" Source: Central Oregon Daily (AP), 2026-09-22. Judge sets hearing in CNN, MS NOW, Politico lawsuit over Trump ban. https://www.centraloregondaily.com/news/nation-world/judge-sets-hearing-in-cnn-ms-now-politico-lawsuit-over-trump-ban/article_afef5842-6a0a-5b3c-9cb4-f28004c1b323.html Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/92, checked 2026-09-22.

[6] Trump described the outlets' coverage as "FICTION and LIES" as his stated reason for the ban. Quote: "FICTION and LIES" Source: NPR, 2026-09-19. Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico will be banned from the White House. https://www.npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5974854/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-ban Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260921004920/https://www.npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5974854/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-ban Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/106, checked 2026-09-22.

[7] CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit against the White House and the President, seeking a declaration that the ban violates the Constitution and an injunction restoring access. Quote: "filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes." Source: Axios, 2026-09-21. CNN, MS NOW, Politico sue Trump administration over White House ban. https://www.axios.com/2026/09/21/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-suit Archived copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20260921132041/https://www.axios.com/2026/09/21/trump-cnn-msnow-politico-suit Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/107, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-white-house-bans-cnn-msnow-politico. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.