Secret Service confiscates White House hard passes from CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters at the gate

Trump named no story, citing "cumulative stories over the last two years"; all three outlets say they will sue.

On Friday, Sept. 18, Trump posted on Truth Social that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were barred from the White House effective immediately over "constant reporting FAKE NEWS," and said other outlets could follow.

ContextA hard pass is the badge that lets a reporter walk onto White House grounds each day without asking permission first; the press office can switch it off and the Secret Service collects the plastic at the gate. Trump ordered the ban in a Truth Social post on Friday afternoon, Sept. 18. It took effect immediately; he cited "constant reporting FAKE NEWS" and named no single story. He said the decision reflected "cumulative stories over the last two years" — NBC News rendered it "the last few years." The only explanation offered at the gate was that the decision "was above him." Courts have cared about exactly that absence: in Sherrill v. Knight (1977) and Karem v. Trump (2020), the D.C. Circuit required the White House to give a factual basis, a chance to answer, and a written decision. The White House Correspondents' Association called the exclusion unconstitutional. Its president, Jacqui Heinrich, is a Fox News White House correspondent, and she warned that a standard used to shut out one outlet over its coverage could later be used on any outlet. All three banned newsrooms say they will go to court.

THE HILL12 sources