MS NOW, CNN, Politico still have White House access while awaiting final court ruling
Three news organizations will have continued access to the White House while a federal judge weighs a final decision in Donald Trump’s attempt to ban them.
U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, extended his temporary restraining order granting the journalists access, promising a final decision by Tuesday.
Trump initially barred reporters from MS NOW, CNN, and Politico from entering the White House grounds and had their credentials confiscated. After Kelly restored their right of access, the White House barred the journalists on a sporadic basis, such as blocking CNN from serving in the TV pool on a recent Trump campaign trip. Politico on Monday was prevented from flying on Air Force One.
Kelly’s order did not specifically address pool coverage — just access to the White House grounds.
Attorneys repeated familiar arguments in their appearance before Kelly on Thursday. According to the Associated Press:
“He doesn’t mind negative press stories if he deserves them. He has problems with trafficking verifiable falsehoods,” [Justice Department attorney Michael] Velchik said of Trump.
Theodore J. Boutrous, an attorney for the media plaintiffs, said the government was continuing to discriminate against viewpoints and reporting it doesn’t like.
“He doesn’t like scrutiny of his policies, he doesn’t like the reporting, he wants more good press,” Boutrous said in court. That’s a content-based restriction on speech and a clear violation of the First Amendment, he said.
Another access lawsuit is making its way through the courts: In February 2025, the White House removed the Associated Press from the press pool after the AP continued to refer to the Gulf of Mexico after Trump ordered it renamed as the Gulf of America. The AP sued, and the case is still before the courts.
The Guardian (Margaret Sullivan): Trump’s latest attacks on the press exude desperation
The Associated Press: Media attorneys ask court for help in preventing White House ban until legal case is resolved
The New York Times: Why a Court Order Didn’t Stop Trump From Keeping Reporters Off Air Force One
Columbia Journalism Review: A war of attrition.
CNN: White House blocks Politico from Air Force One amid press access lawsuit