Trump bans media outlets CNN, MSNOW and Politico from White House

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is banning the news outlets CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House, claiming they are reporting "fiction and lies" about his administration. Trump, who has a long history of conflicts with the media, stated on his Truth Social platform that the move was due to the outlets' constant "reporting of FAKE NEWS!"

He did not specify what prompted the decision but said that media outlets should not be allowed to "constantly write or report FICTION and LIES" when covering him or his administration.

The ban drew immediate accusations from the affected outlets and media freedom advocates that it was unconstitutional and would be struck down by the courts. CNN and MSNOW said that Trump's plan to bar them from the White House was an "illegal assault on US press freedom" and that their reporting was "fair and accurate" and protected under the US Constitution. Politico vowed to "vigorously defend our First Amendment rights" and dismissed Trump's claims that it had received government subsidies as false.

This unprecedented move by Trump is a rare instance of a US president outright barring news outlets from the White House. While Trump has frequently clashed with CNN reporters, particularly during Oval Office encounters, outright banning them is unprecedented. In his first term, Trump banned CNN reporter Jim Acosta, and during his second term, he has imposed stricter controls on journalists, including controlling which media members can cover events in tight spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One.

The White House announcement comes at a time when Trump's approval ratings are at record lows, and his Republican Party faces the risk of losing control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. The war in Iran, rising prices, particularly at the gas pump, and other factors have contributed to Trump's declining political fortunes.

Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called the ban "flatly unconstitutional" and said that the First Amendment protects journalists' right to cover any administration, regardless of their reporting.