The White House has restored access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to suspend its decision barring the three news organisations from the presidential complex.
The decision followed a turbulent morning in Washington, when reporters from the affected outlets said they were still being prevented from entering the White House despite the court order.
US District Judge Tim Kelly had ruled that the administration’s removal of the outlets’ press credentials was likely to have violated their constitutional due process rights. He ordered the suspension of the ban for 14 days while the legal challenge continues.
The three organisations had filed a lawsuit arguing that the administration’s action infringed protections for freedom of speech and the press, as well as their right to due process.
Access restored after early-morning dispute
The White House said it began reinstating press credentials at about 7:25 a.m., with replacement badges made available at an entrance later that morning.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico nevertheless told the court that their reporters were initially still being denied access. Politico said one of its reporters had their credentials taken away, while an MS NOW journalist reported being stopped from entering the White House grounds.
CNN also said some of its personnel were refused entry.
Following a filing from the White House describing the reinstatement process, Judge Kelly declined to hold an immediate emergency hearing but allowed the news organisations to provide further updates if problems continued.
The dispute unfolded as President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House and attended events surrounding the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Television pool coverage disrupted
The confrontation also affected the White House television press pool.
A source familiar with the pool said its members planned to resume coverage only after CNN was formally restored to the rotation. The pool had suspended its coverage earlier in the week in support of CNN.
No television pool cameras were positioned for Xi’s arrival on the South Lawn on Thursday morning. CNN, FOX News and MS NOW also did not broadcast the leaders’ arrival ceremony live.
CNN is part of the five-member television pool alongside ABC, CBS, FOX News and NBC. The organisations share the costs of presidential coverage, rotate responsibility for producing coverage and distribute footage to other broadcasters.
Court questions national security justification
Trump announced the exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico on his social media platform, accusing the organisations of repeatedly publishing what he described as false or misleading coverage about his presidency. The administration subsequently cited national security concerns in defending the decision.
In court, however, Kelly questioned whether the administration had provided sufficient evidence to support that argument.
The judge said the available record did not establish that removing the journalists’ White House credentials would protect national security or that restoring their access while the case proceeded would put national security at risk.
The Justice Department had pointed to several reports by the outlets, including coverage involving US missile stockpiles, construction of a proposed White House ballroom and attendance at a Republican midterm convention.
The three news organisations, backed by press freedom groups and dozens of other media companies, challenged the administration’s decision in court.
The legal fight comes amid broader tensions between Trump’s White House and major news organisations, with disputes over presidential media access becoming an increasingly prominent feature of his second term.
The latest ruling followed another legal setback for Trump earlier in the week, when an Iowa judge dismissed his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a 2024 election poll. The judge ruled that the poll was protected speech.
