This week Donald Trump decided to withdraw access to the White House from three major media outlets across the Atlantic, accusing them of spreading fake news. The move caused other media outlets to stop covering the president’s activities in solidarity.
The 45th and 47th president of the United States decided to ban CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and online media Politicoaccusing them of peddling fake news. Later on Friday, September 18, Donald Trump reported that “ other media propagating false information will follow. Our country must have honest information“. He justifies his decision with these words: “ their incessant reporting spreads false information“.
The three media reacted with a joint press release: “ Today we are taking legal action to defend our rights in the name of the First Amendment and the principle that the government does not decide what the press publishes. » The First Amendment to the American Constitution forbidden in Congress to limit the right of the press.
Joint statement from CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO: pic.twitter.com/ZBt2qioLD8
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) September 21, 2026
Solidary competing media
We may see fewer images of Donald Trump in the coming days. And for good reason, this decision did not reach the American press at all. In solidarity with their colleague whose work is being violated, several renowned channels announce that they will stop following the movements of the American president. Among them: CBS, ABC, NBC And Fox. These four media form with CNN the White House “pool”. This pool’s mission is to follow the American president throughout the day while distributing images around the world. Direct consequence, no microphone was not placed during the inauguration of the White House heliport.
🔴 At the White House, Donald Trump presided over the inauguration of the new heliport, with a traditional ribbon cutting.
But the ceremony was somewhat disrupted: the noise of the helicopter covered a large part of his statements, making his remarks largely… pic.twitter.com/3HGvIUZUCh
— air plus news (@airplusnews) September 21, 2026
On the night of Wednesday September 23 to Thursday September 24, American Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to immediately restore access to the White House for CNN, MS NOW And Politico.
The fact that Fox was participating in the boycott came as a surprise to many. As a reminder, this channel classified conservative was often seen as the spokesperson for Donald Trump during his first presidential campaign in 2016. Fox News also shared accusations of theft of the election at the time of his defeat against Joe Biden in 2020. The channel distanced itself from the billionaire during Biden’s mandate. The alignment has no longer been complete since his re-election in 2024. The war in Iran and the measures taken against the press marked a break between Fox News and Donald Trump.
Trump hits back
The counterattack did not take long. The White House, in the wake of the announcement of the boycott, announced the creation of Trump TV. It is a YouTube channel that continuously broadcasts speeches and “highlights” and “strong statements” from Donald Trump. Trump TV also broadcasts older moments such as the US president’s speech in Davos.
