Trump's White House media ban faces long odds in court, legal experts say

U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to ban ​several news outlets from the White House over his dislike of their coverage likely runs afoul of U.S. legal prohibitions against viewpoint discrimination by ‌the government, four legal experts told Reuters .

President Trump’s announcement on Friday (September 18, 2026) that he would ban CNN, MSNOW and Politico ​ for reporting what he deemed “FAKE NEWS” was the latest move by his administration to curtail press access, part of ⁠the Republican President’s wider pressure campaign against news coverage he dislikes. Mr. Trump said on Saturday (September 19) that he might ban other outlets as well.

The President’s justification for the ban could be its undoing in a legal challenge because U.S. courts have long held that the government cannot condition press access on ‌favourable coverage once it has opened a space to the media, according to legal experts.