MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner reported from outside the White House gates on Saturday morning instead. Gardner told MS NOW\u2019s \u201cThe Weekend\u201d that she was allowed through the first two gates with no issues, but when she scanned her press badge to enter the grounds, it beeped and she was asked to hand over her badge. An MS NOW producer, however, was still able to enter the White House with her badge, Gardner said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday, our journalists were able to stay here working on the White House grounds,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is the first action we know of of them actually denying us entry into the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe White House belongs to the American people and the decisions made inside are funded by our tax dollars,\u201d said an MS NOW spokesperson. \u201cMS NOW intends to take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stand firmly behind our anchors, our reporters, and our newsroom. We will continue to report on the President, the administration, and the issues that impact the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n
CNN said in a statement that it will continue to cover the U.S. government \u201cregardless of any attempts to restrict physical access to the White House and any other government buildings, or any other attempts to impede our journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government and this ban is an illegal assault on our fundamental right,\u201d CNN said. \u201cWe will not be deflected from our duty to hold the government and other public bodies to account, and we will continue to report the actions and processes of this administration without fear or favor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The move marks another potential First Amendment test for the Trump administration over its treatment of the press. Courts have previously considered whether the White House may restrict access based on an outlet\u2019s editorial choices, and Trump\u2019s administration has faced legal challenges over press access.<\/p>\n
Trump<\/a>\u00a0had said in a Truth Social post on Friday that MS NOW, CNN and Politico would be banned from the White House, accusing the news organizations of reporting \u201cfake news\u201d and what he called \u201cFICTION and LIES\u201d about him, his administration and the United States. He did not cite specific reports that prompted the decision and suggested other news organizations could face similar action.<\/p>\n Trump defended the ban while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, reiterating that no single report prompted the move. Instead he pointed to what he called \u201ccumulative stories over the last few years\u201d and accused the outlets, without evidence, of intentionally publishing negative coverage of Republicans and his administration.<\/p>\n Trump also acknowledged that his proposed restrictions could face a legal challenge. \u201cWhether it survives or doesn\u2019t,\u201d Trump said, \u201cI think that somebody has a right to keep them away if they\u2019re going to write false stories all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House previously restricted The Associated Press\u2019 access<\/a> to the Oval Office, Air Force One and other presidential spaces because of the wire service\u2019s decision to continue using the term \u201cGulf of Mexico\u201d instead of \u201cGulf of America\u201d after a Trump executive order sought to rename the international body of water. The AP sued, arguing that the restrictions violated the First Amendment, and a federal judge ordered the White House to restore its access, ruling that the government could not punish the organization for its editorial choices. The administration appealed, and the case is pending.<\/p>\n The administration also excluded a Wall Street Journal reporter<\/a> from Air Force One in 2025 after objecting to the newspaper\u2019s reporting about Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n When pressed on the First Amendment and whether the move was intended to intimidate the press, Trump told reporters, \u201cNo, no, no,\u201d adding that he opposed what he called \u201cdishonest press.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., appearing on MS NOW\u2019s \u201cThe Weekend\u201d Saturday, said, \u201cIt\u2019s very clear that Donald Trump is running the United States like a state-run, controlled authoritarian government.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \tMore articles<\/p>\n The congresswoman, a former Obama administration official who worked at the White House, added, \u201cTo deny access to a media outlet because you don\u2019t like their coverage, you don\u2019t like what they\u2019re reporting on, is not only a violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment rights of our media. It is a scary overstep.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused Trump of \u201cNorth Korea levels of censorship\u201d following his announcement on Friday. \u201cThese attacks on free speech are insane,\u201d Garcia said in a post on X<\/a>. \u201cThe First Amendment is sacred in this country. We must defend it at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n Press freedom advocates also quickly condemned the announcement.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about more than the rights of journalists. It is about the right of the American people to receive a full and independent account of the activities, policies and decisions of whoever occupies the nation\u2019s highest office,\u201d White House Correspondents\u2019 Association President Jacqui Heinrich said in a statement.<\/p>\n Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the ban would violate free speech protections against excluding journalists based on their coverage.<\/p>\n \u201cIf President Trump means to expel these news organizations from the White House press pool, his action is doubly unconstitutional because the press pool is a \u2018public forum\u2019 under the First Amendment, which means the president can\u2019t exclude journalists from it on the basis of their viewpoints,\u201d Jaffer said.<\/p>\n The Freedom of the Press Foundation called the move a \u201cblatant violation of the First Amendment\u201d and accused Trump of retaliating against news organizations for critical coverage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe press keeps exposing his corruption and his failures,\u201d Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the foundation, said in a statement. \u201cThese outrageous attacks only demonstrate how scared he is of an informed public.\u201d<\/p>\n The Radio Television Digital News Association also criticized the move, with President and CEO Tara Puckey saying restricting access undermines press transparency.<\/p>\n \u201cA press room you get to curate isn\u2019t a press room. It\u2019s a stage,\u201d Puckey said. \u201cTransparency means access for reporters asking tough questions, not simply the ones you like.\u201d<\/p>\n Lisa Rubin contributed to this report.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tEbony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.\u00a0\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t![\"Ebony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebony-davis-square-01-toned-1x1-150-dpi.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEbony Davis<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n
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