Case 1:26-cv-03287-TJK Document 16 Filed 09/22/26
Page 4 of 19Decades later, President Kennedy sought to “court star correspondents” and thus gave certain reporters “special access” and “advance notice of administration announcements.” Holzer, supra, at 213. President Johnson “tried to use personal interviews as a means of reward and punishment.” Blaire Atherton French, The Presidential Press Conference: Its History and Role in the American Political System 18 (1982). Courts in this district have elsewhere summarized the comparatively recent history of press access, including hard passes, in seminal cases: AP, 2025 WL 1649265, at *1-*3; Ateba v. Leavitt, 133 F.4th 114, 117-119 (D.C. Cir. 2025); Karem v. Trump, 960 F.3d 656, 660-61 (D.C. Cir. 2020); Sherrill, 569 F.2d at 126-27.
Against this background, on Friday, September 18, the President issued a statement:
I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them “alive.” Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant “reporting” FAKE NEWS! Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP¹
On Monday, September 21, 2026, the President further explained that:The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America. It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP²
Later that day, Plaintiffs filed suit. Compl. In response, the President released another statement
explaining, in part:
1 Truth Social (Sept. 18, 2026, 3:04PM), https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117293599348325006.
2 Truth Social (Sept. 21, 2026, 7:53AM), https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117308890736529824.
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