A rare rupture between the White House and America’s television networks unfolded after broadcasters effectively boycotted coverage of President Donald Trump in protest at his decision to bar three prominent news organisations from the presidential compound.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico also turned to the courts after Mr Trump ordered the outlets excluded on Friday.
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In an unusual show of solidarity with CNN, the five largest US broadcasters said they would suspend their rotating “pool” coverage of the White House. Under the arrangement, one broadcaster records footage on behalf of television outlets for the day.
CNN had been scheduled to operate the White House television pool today.
The decision means television networks will not provide coverage of Mr Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he was expected to hold meetings with several foreign leaders.
US President Donald Trump has filed a number of lawsuits against news organisations
In their lawsuit, CNN and MS NOW are seeking the immediate reversal of the ban and a ruling that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech.
“This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” the organisations said in a court filing.
Mr Trump showed no sign of retreat, describing the media as a “cancer” and accusing it of posing a threat to national security.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
“It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.”
Vice President JD Vance, who worked as a CNN commentator before entering politics, accused the organisations of promoting “left-wing propaganda”.
“They can still report. They still have the access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore,” he told reporters.
Press passes confiscated
The ban, announced abruptly by Mr Trump on Friday, caught the media off guard and reportedly surprised officials within his own administration.
On Saturday, journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were refused entry to the White House grounds and had their press passes taken away.
Journalists work on a street corner near the White House in Washington, DC
The three outlets said the White House had withdrawn their journalists’ credentials “without notice or process” because officials “objected to our reporting”.
“Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” they said in a joint statement.
Mr Trump has not specified which reports led to the decision. Asked about the ban by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office on Friday, however, he said it was “really just cumulative stories over the last two years”.
“They want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration,” Trump added.
He also warned that other news organisations could be targeted, though he did not identify them.
CNN reported that Natalie Harp, a close aide to Mr Trump, had shown him clips of recent media coverage, including a graphic produced by Politico, before he announced the ban.
Mr Trump has a long record of attacking outlets that publish critical coverage of his campaigns and administrations, repeatedly portraying the press as the “enemy of the people”.
White House launches ‘Trump TV’ on YouTube
The White House launched a “Trump TV” stream last night.
Officials said the channel would feature videos and highlights of what they describe as the Trump administration’s achievements. A press freedom advocate, however, said it represented “a steady diet of government propaganda”.
A 60-second trailer showcased the Republican leader’s 2024 presidential victory. The first video broadcast after the platform went live featured remarks Trump delivered on 3 July at Mount Rushmore.
The stream had attracted only about 8,000 live viewers 15 minutes after its launch on YouTube.
“This just makes it even clearer that the real goal here is to ensure that the American public is fed a steady diet of government propaganda,” said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
