WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 — Three U.S. news organizations — CNN, MS NOW and Politico — said Monday that they are suing U.S. President Donald Trump and several White House officials after being barred from entering the White House.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are 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,” the three news organizations said in a joint statement.
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” the statement continued.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, also listed Steven Cheung, assistant to the president for communications, Sean Curran, director of the Secret Service, and Susan Wiles, White House chief of staff, as defendants.
The latest lawsuit came after Trump said on social media Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned from the White House “effective immediately,” citing what he called constant “fake news.”
On Saturday, reporters from the three media outlets were denied entry to the White House, and their press credentials were confiscated.
In a social media post, Trump reacted to the latest lawsuit on Monday. “As expected, Fake News CNN, Politico (Pay back the 8 Million Dollar contribution made by the U.S. Government to keep them afloat!), and MSNOW (formerly known as MSDNC!), have brought suit to gain access to the White House, and your President, ME!” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Almost without question and, as usual, we’ll go for appeal,” Trump continued, arguing that “Fake News people and publications that only write negatively, and who violate our National Security by writing false and defamatory stories with unknown ‘sources,’ shouldn’t be allowed access to the most important Office anywhere in the World.”
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, his relationship with U.S. news organizations has remained tense, with the president frequently criticizing media outlets over what he calls “fake news” and taking legal action against some of them.
In February 2025, reporters from The Associated Press (AP) were barred from access to the White House Oval Office, Mar-a-Lago and Air Force One after the AP declined to adopt the Trump administration’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
Trump has also filed lawsuits against media organizations including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CBS, accusing them of defamation or misleading reporting. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
