by Jeff Crouere, ©2026
(Sep. 20, 2026) — From the day he descended the “golden escalator” and announced his presidential campaign in 2015, Donald Trump has been the victim of negative media coverage. Before announcing his presidential bid and revealing his positions on issues such as border security and illegal immigration, media outlets loved Donald Trump as a celebrity. He regularly received glowing media profiles and appeared on magazine covers.
However, once he became a “conservative” politician and started the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement, Trump became the media’s number one enemy. For example, in the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, the mainstream media coverage of President Trump was 92% negative. In contrast, these so-called “objective” media outlets gave President Joe Biden 59% positive coverage during his first 100 days.
After suffering through years of this abusive media coverage, President Trump decided to strike back against his left-wing antagonists. On Friday, the President posted on Truth Social: “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…from the White House.”
Trump claimed that Politico received an “illegal and ridiculous” $8 million payment “directly from the United States Government under Crooked Joe Biden…to keep them ‘alive.’ Seems like corruption to me!”
The President blasted all three media outlets for “constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” He continued, noting that these press operations “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.”
The President said there would be additional media announcements, promising “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
The President’s threat was not hollow, for the next day, the badges of the “Fake News” reporters had been revoked. Politico reported that “our colleague Cheyenne Haslett attempted to enter the White House to do her job as a POLITICO reporter. (The) Secret Service denied her entry to the complex and confiscated the pass that allows her access to the White House. We stand by her and all reporters here covering the White House…we will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights.”
On Saturday, CNN’s Senior White House Reporter, Betsy Klein, could not access the White House. She reported, “I put my stuff through security, then I tap my badge…Cameras WATCHED me walk in…and it BEEPS, turns RED! It didn’t accept my PIN number…He told me it has been deactivated. He said he had no further information.”
A similar situation happened for MS NOW White House Reporter Akayla Gardner. When she arrived at the White House, her “badge” was inoperable. She said, “The officer asked me to hand over my badge. He said that it was disabled. I asked why…He said it was above him.”
In response, MS NOW posted on social media that it would “take any and all steps necessary to defend our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy.” Of course, it would be nice if MS NOW understood that the United States is a constitutional republic and not a democracy. Also, the President was not infringing on their “First Amendment rights.” As commentator Eric Daugherty noted, the “1st Amendment says you can LIE all you want, but don’t expect to be rewarded for it.”
CNN also posted its response to the President’s decision, claiming a “right under the U.S. Constitution to do our reporting without hindrance or interference from the government, and this ban is an illegal assault on this fundamental right.”
By claiming the ban was “illegal,” these media outlets will undoubtedly sue the Trump administration. Considering the large number of liberal judges throughout the country, thanks to the Biden administration, the networks and Politico have a good chance of overturning this ban in court.
This would be an unfortunate decision, for none of these outlets are banned from reporting and publishing their “Fake News.” The President’s decision only affects their access to the White House.
In a CNN interview on Sunday, United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz said the President was within his rights to ban the outlets from the White House: “The Supreme Court has been very clear in multiple cases going back to the 1960s (regarding) your right to publish and speak rather than having access to any government facility.”
As the occupant of the White House, the President should be able to decide which media outlets are given access. Why should Trump allow reporters with a history of “Fake News” access to the White House? This was not an arbitrary decision by the President, but a consequence of years of biased reporting. The President reached his limit of “Fake News” and acted accordingly.
When asked by a reporter whether he was trying to “intimidate” the press, President Trump responded that he disliked “dishonest press like you. I think you’re terrible. I like to see honest press.”
Unfortunately, Mr. President, the days of “honest press” are over. Most mainstream news reporters today are far-left activists, not objective journalists. This situation would be remedied if these media outlets reported objectively on President Trump. He would see their fairness and reward them with access. However, it is impossible for these leftists to report fairly on Trump. Their hatred for him is too ingrained.
Journalists should appreciate Trump, for he is a reporter’s dream. He creates almost constant news stories and keeps the public interested. In contrast, Joe Biden gave the media limited access, was mentally incompetent, and did not even know the names of reporters. In response, he received very positive coverage, but the President who gives reporters job security is treated unfairly with inaccurate and biased reporting.
President Trump outlined the reason for the bias, stating that the left-wing media outlets “purposely write negative news…to…diminish Republicans, and a Republican administration.” After many years of this mistreatment, the President issued a well-deserved ban on media outlets that abandoned objectivity long ago.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from 1-2 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-9 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is the President and General Manager of WGSO Radio, a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance, and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and at Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply