Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump administration denies White House access to CNN and MS Now journalists despite federal court order — On Thursday evening, the Trump administration barred journalists from CNN and MS Now from covering a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping, hours after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an overnight order requiring the administration to restore press credentials to the three banned outlets (CNN, MS Now, Politico). CNN was permitted only a photojournalist and audio technician, excluding editorial staff. MS Now reporter Laura Barrón-López was denied credentials entirely. The administration had revoked the outlets' hard passes on Saturday, citing "fake news," but Kelly ruled the revocation violated due process and likely breached First Amendment protections.
• White House blocked CNN and MS NOW from state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping — On the evening of September 25, CNN and MS NOW were blocked from full access to the White House state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The White House told CNN it could send only an audio producer and a cameraman, not a reporter or producer. CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes stated the outlet was "specifically denied access" and that the White House was "not letting in the CNN editorial presence."

Supporting reports

• Federal judge orders Trump administration to restore White House press credentials to banned outlets — U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an early-morning order on Thursday requiring the Trump administration to restore press credentials to journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politico for a 14-day period. The judge found the administration likely violated due process and First Amendment protections when it revoked the outlets' hard passes on Saturday without advance notice or opportunity to be heard. Kelly ruled the standards cited by the White House were "so vague" as to be constitutionally inadequate and expressed skepticism that national security was the actual motivation, noting Trump's content-based statements about the ban. A hearing on a preliminary injunction was scheduled during the 14-day restoration period.
• Federal judge ordered White House to restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters — U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day restraining order requiring the White House to immediately restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters after Trump banned them. The judge found the news organizations were likely to succeed on their claim that their passes were revoked without due process. When reporters attempted to cover Trump's event with Chinese President Xi, they were initially denied access in defiance of the court order, prompting attorneys to file an emergency motion. The White House eventually admitted the reporters after other media outlets joined a boycott.
• U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted media outlets' request to block Trump's White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico — After a hearing on Trump's Friday ban of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House campus, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly (appointed by Trump in 2017) granted the media outlets' request for a temporary restraining order, finding that the administration's national security justification was pretextual. Kelly noted that the stories the White House objected to were "routine" and that one was based on a White House press call. Kelly ordered the credentials of 78 journalists restored immediately.

Supporting reports

• White House denied access to reporters in defiance of court order — Despite the federal court's overnight restraining order, White House staff denied access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters when they arrived to cover Trump's event with Chinese President Xi on the morning of September 24. The denial occurred in direct defiance of the judicial order. Attorneys for the media companies filed an emergency motion requesting an expedited hearing, which was granted and scheduled for 12:45 p.m. The White House eventually admitted the reporters just before the emergency hearing was set to begin.
• White House continued to deny CNN, Politico, and MS NOW access despite court order — Despite Judge Kelly's order restoring journalist credentials, the White House continued to deny reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW access to the White House campus on the morning of September 25. The outlets' lawyers requested an emergency hearing, citing repeated violations of the court's order. After the judge ordered the administration to respond, the reporters were allowed back into the area.