On Friday, President Donald Trump banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House, effective immediately. In a Truth Social post, he said all three outlets are locked out over what he calls their fake and fictitious reporting, and he warned that more networks are coming.
“I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them ‘alive,’” he wrote. “Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
CNN responded with a statement defending its White House team.
“CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting,” the statement read. “We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government. Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
That technically doesn’t entitle it to White House credentials. There are lots of media outlets that don’t get White House credentials.
And let’s face it, whatever you think of this action by the White House, CNN is the same network that spent years manufacturing its own version of reality, which curiously benefits the Democrats every single time. Now, sure, legal challenges and First Amendment arguments are already expected from all three outlets, but it’s worth examining here if the White House has justification.
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And boy, did the Trump team drop receipts.
The White House Rapid Response account on X responded with a list cataloging years of the network's own reporting failures and outright fabrications, nearly 50 examples in all.
And I’m sure it’s not even everything.
For example, CNN ran with the Russia collusion hoax for years, and it falsely claimed Trump once called for Liz Cheney to be executed. The network also pushed a story accusing Trump of trashing American troops, and another claiming he assaulted a Secret Service agent and grabbed the wheel of his own limousine. All bogus stories.
CNN's sloppiness hasn't been limited to Trump himself. It falsely reported that police officers were killed during the January 6 riot at the Capitol, and it described the violent 2020 Kenosha riots as “fiery but mostly peaceful" while buildings burned behind its own reporters. In 2019, the network promoted false accusations of racism against the Covington Catholic students and ran with Jussie Smollett's obviously fabricated hate-crime story.
CNN also insisted Joe Biden was "sharp as a tack" long after his decline was obvious to anyone paying attention, and in 2024, it gave Kamala Harris cover by claiming she'd never actually served as the administration's border czar. And let’s not forget the way CNN claimed that Elon Musk made a Nazi salute.
https://t.co/h78fUx200J pic.twitter.com/20CHMpdTw3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 18, 2026
Whatever happens to Trump's ban, no one can take CNN's outrage over "accuracy" seriously.