Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House has prompted widespread condemnation from rival news organisations, press groups and prominent Democrats.
Reporters from the three outlets were denied access to the White House on Saturday morning and had their passes confiscated, following a fresh attack on the media by the president.
Mr Trump had accused the organisations on Friday evening of publishing “purposely negative stories” that were untrue. He did not provide details, while the administration has not explained what prompted the decision.
First Amendment groups described the move as unconstitutional and unlikely to withstand a court challenge. Condemnation was also voiced by media organisations that compete directly with the outlets affected.
Lauren Easton, a spokeswoman for the Associated Press, said: “No news organization — or person — should be retaliated against by the government over the words they use.”
The New York Times, The Washington Post and press associations issued statements describing the ban as an attack on free speech and an independent press.
Fox News figures condemn White House access ban
Several figures at Fox News also criticised the decision. Ari Fleischer, a contributor, said conservatives should challenge liberal journalists rather than exclude them.
“Argue and defeat them,” he said. “Don’t ban them. Or one day they’ll ban us.”
Another Fox contributor, Jonathan Turley, called the exclusion of media organisations disliked by the president “a terrible precedent and practice”.
Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox News anchor and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said First Amendment protections did not depend on whether the president approved of a news organisation’s coverage.
“This is about more than the rights of journalists,” Ms Heinrich said. “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’s highest office.”
Democrats accuse Trump of trying to silence criticism
Democrats seized on the White House media ban as an attempt to conceal shortcomings in the administration and divert attention from other political difficulties.
They said Republicans were approaching a difficult election cycle amid high inflation and an unpopular war with Iran started by Mr Trump, whose poll support had declined.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, said: “Donald Trump just did what dictators throughout history have done. This is a democracy. You will not be able to manipulate the news or hide the truth.”
Jamie Raskin, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called on news organisations to boycott the White House if Mr Trump continued to violate press freedom.
Senator Elizabeth Warren accused the president of censoring the press and trying to “hide his failures”. Senator Bernie Sanders said Mr Trump wanted to “control the flow of information and silence media that might hold them accountable”.
“We will not allow Trump to undermine the First Amendment, the Constitution and our democracy,” Mr Sanders said. “We will not accept authoritarianism.”
Most senior Republicans and members of the Trump administration remained silent on Saturday. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, said he “fully supports” excluding outlets that he and Mr Trump have labelled “fake news”.
Mr Hegseth alleged that the organisations had endangered troops with “false stories, leaks, and trafficked in fiction and lies about the President”, but offered no examples or evidence.
Benny Johnson, a right-wing podcaster, welcomed the decision and argued that blocking the organisations from the White House did not prevent them from reporting.
“No one is infringing on their ability to do reporting,” he said.
The campaign of Mike Rogers, a Republican seeking a competitive Senate seat in Michigan with Mr Trump’s backing, appeared to distance itself from the move. A spokeswoman said Mr Rogers had held a press conference that morning with invitations extended to all three outlets.
“That tells you where he stands,” Alyssa Brouillet said.
Meghan McCain, a conservative commentator, also criticised the ban, saying: “It’s insane and a very slippery slope to kick media outlets you don’t like out of the White House.”
