Trump says he’s banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House

President Donald Trump said Friday that he had banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over what he called their “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”

In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, Trump said media outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the Untied States.”

Trump also warned “other outlets” would “follow” but did not specify which.

It was not immediately clear if journalists for those news outlets had been removed from the White House grounds as of Friday afternoon.

CNN, MS Now and Politico did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press and the outlets are likely to challenge any ban in court.

The move is the latest in Trump’s ongoing efforts to punish news organizations and broadcasters for their coverage. Shortly after taking office, Trump banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other events after it declined to acknowledge his call to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

The AP filed suit and the case is ongoing.

Trump has also taken legal action against outlets including the BBC, New York Times and Wall Street Journal after they published unfavorable reports. The suits against the Times and Journal were subsequently dismissed. The BBC has filed to get Trump’s suit against it tossed.

The Trump administration also retaliated against ABC after late night host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about First Lady Melania Trump, launching investigations against the network and threatening to revoke its broadcast licenses. ABC’s parent company, Disney, is now suing the Federal Communications Commission over those efforts.

During his first administration, Trump banned CNN’s then-chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta from the executive mansion. CNN sued, and the White House subsequently restored Acosta’s credentials.

Friday’s bans come as Trump’s approval ratings have sagged and with Democrats gaining a polling edge in many pivotal midterm races that could see Republicans lose control of Congress. He has at times taken particular issue with reporting on the Iran war, writing on Truth Social earlier in September that coverage of ammunition shortages was “actually treasonous.”

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