Judge orders Trump to restore White House access as outlets allege defiance

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's ban on three major news outlets from the White House and ordered their access to be restored. The ruling came after CNN, MS Now and Politico sued over the ban, which President Donald Trump announced on Friday.

Trump accused the outlets of reporting 'fake news', 'fiction and lies'. In an Oval Office exchange, he said there was no single reason for the ban. 'No, no reason. No, just because,' he said. He described it as 'cumulative stories over the last few years' and said the outlets 'purposely write negative news' to diminish Republicans.

The ban covered CNN, MS Now and Politico. Trump also singled out the New York Times and Washington Post as 'fake news' and said the White House may stop displaying those papers.

The three banned outlets went to court, arguing the move violated their First Amendment rights and the public's right to independent reporting. CNN said it stood 'fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting'. The White House Correspondents Association condemned the action, saying the Constitution protects press freedom regardless of whether the president likes an outlet's coverage.

In solidarity, the five major US television networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox News, suspended their shared pool coverage of the president. CNN had been due to serve as the pool on a trip to the UN General Assembly and other events. Because no replacement crew was put in, there was no normal network television coverage of Trump's departure, his arrival in New York, or a White House helipad event. White House still photographers also withheld images. The White House launched its own YouTube stream, called Trump TV, which it described as a 24-7 feed of the administration's biggest moments.

Vice President JD Vance defended the ban. He said the administration was not banning media outlets but was refusing 'special access' to outlets that engage in 'what is effectively propaganda'. Trump posted that he was not attacking the free press but 'fake news', which he called a threat to national security.

At a court hearing, Judge Timothy Kelly questioned the process used by the White House. The judge noted precedent requiring notice and a chance to challenge the loss of press access, and said bans cannot be based on content. The administration initially cited fake news, then shifted to national security reasons in court filings, pointing to specific articles and claims about classified material. The judge later ordered that access be temporarily restored.

But the three outlets said the White House did not comply. Their lawyers filed a notice of non-compliance and sought an emergency hearing, saying journalists who turned up at the White House were still refused entry. The standoff meant that even a state arrival for China's President Xi Jinping at the White House was not covered by the normal pooled television cameras. The legal fight continues, with the administration expected to appeal against rulings that go against it.

The case follows earlier Trump administration restrictions on press access, including at the Pentagon and in the treatment of the Associated Press. A previous ban on a CNN correspondent was overturned in court. Critics say the latest move is an escalation because it targets whole news organisations, not individual reporters or stories.