CNN, MS NOW and Politico Expand Lawsuit Against Trump Over White House Press Ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico expanded their lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing the White House of continuing to exclude their journalists from presidential events despite a federal judge's order restoring their press credentials.

In an amended complaint filed October 28, 2026, the three news organizations asked a federal court in Washington, D.C., to stop the administration from barring their reporters from press pool assignments aboard Air Force One and inside the Oval Office. They allege the restrictions amount to retaliation for unfavorable coverage and violate the First Amendment.

CNN says it has been excluded from all six Air Force One assignments it was scheduled to cover as the designated television network pool reporter since Trump's September 18 ban. Politico alleges it was removed from two out-of-town assignments, while MS NOW says it has been excluded from secondary television pool coverage since the restrictions began.

The organizations also claim that 97% of nearly 5,000 questions Trump has answered from reporters in traditional presidential press settings occurred in the Oval Office or during travel aboard Air Force One. The figure, included in the amended complaint, places much of the president's interaction with journalists in locations covered by the disputed restrictions.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered the administration to restore the organizations' White House press credentials on September 24 and granted a preliminary injunctionpreliminary injunctionA preliminary injunction is a temporary court order issued before a case is finally decided that requires a party to take or stop an action while the litigation continues. Federal courts generally consider the likelihood of success, irreparable harm, the balance of equities, and the public interest before granting one.Read more → on October 13. Kelly found that Trump's original ban likely violated the First Amendment by discriminating against journalists based on their reporting. The earlier orders restored access to White House grounds, leaving the separate dispute over restricted presidential events unresolved.

The new allegations concern the White House press pool, a rotating group of journalists who cover presidential activities in spaces with limited capacity and share their reporting with other news organizations. Attorneys for the three outlets accuse the administration of viewpoint discrimination, arguing that officials are using control over those assignments to punish coverage the president dislikes.

The White House defended its authority over access to presidential facilities. "The Fake News has no place demanding a spot in the President's Oval Office," an administration official said in response to the amended lawsuit.

Trump originally banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on September 18 after accusing them of publishing false and unfavorable coverage. The organizations sued three days later, challenging the revocation of their credentials under the First and Fifth Amendments.

A separate legal battle involving The Associated Press has also addressed access to restricted presidential spaces. In June 2025, a federal appeals court allowed the administration to maintain certain restrictions on AP journalists while its lawsuit proceeded. That decision, issued in a preliminary stage of the case, was nonprecedential and does not bind Kelly in the current dispute.

The Trump administration is appealing Kelly's earlier injunction, while CNN, MS NOW and Politico are seeking a declaration that the continuing exclusions are unconstitutional and a permanent order preventing retaliation through future press assignments. The amended complaint now asks Kelly to address whether the administration's restrictions violate the organizations' rights even after their White House credentials were restored.