Former CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta urged reporters targeted by President Donald Trump’s new media ban to remain on White House grounds — and prepare to sue.
“The reporters at the outlets that have been ‘banned’ should stay at the WH until their shifts are over,” Acosta wrote Friday on X.
Acosta recalled on social media leaving for dinner in 2018 after the Trump White House revoked his press pass. When he returned, Secret Service agents took his credentials.
“If a reporter who has been banned leaves the WH grounds then they may not be able to get back in,” he warned.
“The other thing I would do,” he continued, “is record the moment they take away your press pass (if that happens) with your phone. That way they can’t say you were unruly.”
The former CNN correspondent added: “Definitely take legal action.”
Trump sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill Friday when he announced he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he called “FAKE NEWS.”
In 2018, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to temporarily restore Acosta’s credentials, finding that the administration violated his due process rights, Acosta said.
His tips to reporters banned from the Trump White House didn’t go unnoticed.
“Jim’s firsthand advice,” podcaster Jeff Storobinsky wrote in response.
University of North Georgia rhetoric professor Matthew Boedy called Trump’s move “not merely anti-press but anti-courts.”
“He is defying what was ordered in the Acosta case,” he posted.
Meanwhile, former PBS NewsHour staffer Stephanie Willerton called Acosta’s guidance “important advice” for the targeted outlets.
Some thoughts for my colleagues targeted today… The reporters at the outlets that have been “banned” should stay at the WH until their shifts are over. I left for dinner the evening of my press pass being taken. When I returned the secret service asked for my press passes. 🧵
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) September 18, 2026