Banned White House media plan to file lawsuit

Hours after the three news outlets he summarily barred from the White House announced their intentions to file a lawsuit, Trump took to social media to defend himself.

“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, in response to the pending challenge from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, the three outlets he banned.

Trump banned the three news organizations from the White House on Friday via a surprise social media post. He cited no specific grievance against the outlets’ coverage when announcing the decision, saying only that they were “fake news” and that similar sanctions may follow for other outlets down the line.

Monday morning, the three organizations announced their intentions to sue the administration to restore their access.

The lawsuit, the three outlets said in a joint statement, will aim “to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”