Defiant White House slaps down journalists: 'Access is a privilege - not a right'
"No President is required to host a hostile operation on the grounds. Access has always been a privilege — and President Trump is applying that rule," the statement read.
Donald Trump speaks in the White House on April 6, 2026
The Trump administration is doubling down on its decision to ban three major news outlets from the White House, highlighting the long history of previous presidents trying to blacklist more conservative-leaning outlets.
Trump, last week, chose to ban Politico, MSNOW, and CNN from the White House, citing what he called their long history of posting "fake news" about him. Those outlets have since sued the administration and other media companies have halted White House pool coverage in solidarity with them. But the White House remains unmoved as of press time.
"Access changes are nothing new. What is new, however, is the sudden claim that it becomes sacred only when the outlets are friendly to the Radical Left," the administration said in a press release. "The rule was never “every outlet gets in.” It was always “our side stays in."
Accompanying the White House statement was a series of articles documenting the Obama and Biden administrations restricting access for conservative outlets.
"No President is required to host a hostile operation on the grounds. Access has always been a privilege — and President Trump is applying that rule," the statement read.
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