Here’s how CNN, Politico and MS NOW are responding to Trump’s White House ban

President Trump’s threat to ban three national news outlets from covering the White House is sparking rebuke from First Amendment advocates, elected Democrats and critics from across politics and media.

In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, Trump wrote he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House “effective immediately” for what he said was “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

The president also suggested more outlets could be banned in the future and said no specific story or segment was sparking the ban, adding, “it’s really just cumulative stories over the last two years. You get sick of it.”

As of Friday evening, no reporters from any of the outlets mentioned in the president’s Truth Social post had reported being kicked off the White House grounds and the White House Correspondents’ Association had not weighed in on the president’s post.

Here’s what each outlet has said about Trump’s social media threat.

The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network pushed back on the president for suggesting he would bar its journalists from covering his White House and said removing them from the grounds could violate the law.

“CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” a spokesperson for the outlet said. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government.”

The cable news channel telegraphed potential legal action if Trump made good on his promise to keep its reporters from the White House.

“Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right,” the spokesperson said.

Trump has a long history of attacking CNN over its coverage of him and has specifically targeted anchor and reporter Kaitlan Collins in recent weeks over her questioning of him in the Oval Office.

Politico, an outlet that became the target of right-wing scorn during Elon Musk’s efforts to trim government spending, was also included in what Trump said was a soon-to-be-banned list.

Musk took issue with Politico Pro subscriptions during Department of Government Efficiency efforts he led, a service that many government employees and departments subscribe to for information and reporting on the inner workings of the federal government.

Trump, in his Truth Social post, suggested Politico was reporting “fake news” about him while benefiting from what he characterized as government subsidies.

“POLITICO will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones,” the outlet said in a statement to The Hill on Friday. “We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them,” a spokesperson for the outlet said.

Of the accusations the outlet was taking money from the federal government, the outlet said, “the claims that POLITICO received government subsidies are false and have been thoroughly debunked.”

MS NOW declined to comment on the president’s threat, but its hosts and personalities have frequently been critical of Trump and his policies for years.

The progressive cable channel, formerly known as MSNBC, is home to the morning political talk program “Morning Joe,” which the president has attacked on numerous occasions during his years in office, and former Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki.