Topline
President Donald Trump lashed out at CNN’s White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins in a Truth Social post late on Tuesday, while the Justice Department responded to a lawsuit challenging the president’s move to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House by accusing the outlets of spreading falsehoods and endangering national security.
President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House last week.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
In a filing made before the D.C. federal court, the DOJ urged the judge to reject the three media outlets’ request for a temporary restraining order against Trump’s ban.
The Justice Department argued that the president’s move to ban the three outlets came after he concluded that CNN, MS NOW and Politico had “failed to maintain basic minimum ‘standards of professionalism and decorum’ expected of those given access to the White House Complex.”
The filing alleged that the outlets engaged in “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”
The Trump administration also argued that access to the White House was a “privilege—not a right” and the Government had a right to “control reporters’ access to restricted presidential areas,” like the Oval Office.
The filing argued that the ban had nothing to do with the three outlets’ criticism of Trump, noting that he “has not revoked access to other outlets that have equally criticized the President.”
What Else Did The DOJ’s Filing Say?
The filing included copies of letters the Trump administration sent to each of the three outlets on Tuesday. All three letters accused the outlets of violating professionalism standards and spreading falsehoods. The letter to CNN cites examples of the outlet’s reporting on “‘top-secret’ construction details related to the East Wing bunker” in January, reporting on the U.S. military’s munitions shortages in July and August. The letter to MS NOW cited its May 2026 reporting on an “alleged leak investigation” that the FBI was conducting on a journalist and its coverage of munitions shortages. The letter to Politico also cited multiple reports, including a “document detailing funding for the White House ballroom containing intricate descriptions of how the Secret Service would invest in security improvements.”
what did Trump Say?
In a Truth Social post made just before midnight, the president attacked Collins and CNN saying: “All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate “Reporter,” Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me. Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations?” Earlier on Tuesday, Trump told Collins, “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me,” while speaking to reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York. In his post Trump called CNN and MS NOW “sick, treasonous, and demented,” and signalled that he believed the court will rule in their favor noting “The ‘good news’ is that they have a great, for them, and totally disloyal Judge.” The case is being overseen by Federal Judge Timothy Kelly, who was nominated by Trump in 2017.
Key Background
Trump announced the ban on the three outlets on Friday and said this was a “result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” The president warned that more bans could follow soon, adding: “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.” After the ban, journalists from the three outlets were denied access to the White House grounds. On Monday, CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration in federal court, arguing that the ban was a retaliation against “protected newsgathering and speech in violation of the First Amendment.” Reports later emerged on Monday that the president made the decision to ban the three outlets after his controversial aide Natalie Harp showed him clips of negative coverage about the president and his administration.
further reading
Natalie Harp Reportedly Showed Trump Critical News Coverage Before Media Ban (Forbes)
MS NOW, CNN Says Journalists Turned Away From White House After Trump’s ‘Ban’ (Forbes)
White House Launches ‘Trump TV’ After President’s Press Ban (Forbes)
Leave a comment