Trump criticizes press coverage following court order to restore White House access

President Donald Trump lashed out over his press coverage again Saturday morning after a federal judge ordered him to immediately lift a White House ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW.

In two early morning Truth Social posts, Trump questioned why journalists should have access to the “very sacred” White House. The posts came shortly after his administration barred CNN from Air Force One Saturday and replaced the outlet with LindellTV for his trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, to attend a college football game.

“Why should perpetrators of FAKE NEWS, like CNN and MSDNC, be allowed access to a very sacred place, the White House?” Trump demanded. “Despite my big Election Win, almost 100% of ‘TRUMP’ coverage is negative, and has been for years!”

Less than two hours later, Trump escalated his criticism.

“FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY,” he wrote.

The latest clash with the media began September 18, when Trump abruptly announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House. According to reports, the ban came hours after his aide Natalie Harp showed him videos of unflattering news coverage.

“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

By the following morning, CNN, MS NOW and Politico all said that their journalists had been stopped from accessing the White House grounds, with some reporters saying that they were asked to hand over their badges.

On September 21, the outlets filed a lawsuit against Trump and several of his top aides, arguing that the ban violates the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, as well as the First Amendment, and calls for the press passes to be restored.

“This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” the lawsuit states.

The Justice Department has argued that Trump has the authority to ban the outlets on “national security” grounds, claiming that “access to the White House is a privilege—not a right.”

On September 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate the outlets’ press badges. By that afternoon, reporters regained access to the White House.

Yet, on September 25, the White House announced that CNN will not be allowed on Air Force One when Trump flies to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday for a college football game, the network reported.

CNN is part of a rotating press pool that covers White House events for major TV networks.

Instead, the White House listed LindellTV, a conservative online video platform founded by Trump ally Mike Lindell, on the Air Force One Saturday schedule. Real America’s Voice was also listed.

Trump has long had an extremely combative relationship with the press, accusing reporters of unfair and biased coverage, lobbing personal insults against them and insinuating that those he opposes should be punished.