Monday, Sep 21, 2026
1 Trump Aide Showed Him Media Clips Before White House Press Ban, CNN Reports↩︎ 🇺🇸 US Politics Sep 21, 9:09 AM EDT 220/96
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▶Natalie Harp, a close aide to President Donald Trump, showed him media coverage last week before he banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, CNN reported, citing people familiar with the matter. A Politico graphic was among the material believed to have angered Trump and helped inform his decision, one source told CNN. He also viewed television clips.
Trump announced the ban on Sept. 18, saying it was effective immediately and accusing the outlets of reporting “fake news.” Reporters from all three organizations were denied entry the next day. The White House also removed CNN from its Monday assignment as the television pool representative for the entire White House press corps.
The three outlets announced Monday that they were filing a lawsuit to restore access. “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” they said in a joint statement. They are seeking a temporary restraining order, arguing that the loss of access violates the First Amendment and is causing irreparable harm.