President Donald Trump defended his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House during whining remarks Friday, insisting the country needs "a free press" even as he explained why he had just expelled three of its largest outlets.
Pressed by a reporter on whether there was a particular reason for the ban, Trump initially said there was none.
"No. No reason," he said. "No, it's a it's really just cumulative stories over the last two years. You get sick of it, and you call them, and you tell them."
He said administration officials call reporters to walk them through the substance, gesturing to aides standing behind him, and argued it makes no difference.
"They know it as well as smart people. But they purposely write negative news. And they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans. And a Republican administration."
Trump took shots at each outlet in turn. He said CNN is "just fake" and claimed its coverage was reflected by poor ratings. He referred to MS NOW as MSDNC, a nickname aimed at tying the network to Democrats, and repeated his false claim that Politico received roughly $8 million from the government under President Joe Biden "to keep them afloat."
Fact-checkers debunked that claim last year. Federal agencies across the government spent about $8 million in 2024 on subscriptions to Politico Pro and E&E News, paywalled products offering policy tracking and specialized reporting. USAID's share was $24,000, according to CBS News. Agencies bought subscriptions to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal as well. Politico has said it has never received government funding.
Trump left open the possibility that the outlets could return, or that even more could get banned.
"There may be others to join them, and maybe they can get better and would like to have them in," he said. "But our country has to have honest news."
He then listed a free press alongside borders and elections as the foundations of a country.
"You need borders, and you need fair and free voting. And you know what you need? You need a free press. You need a fair press and an honest press."
The announcement set off alarm bells among journalists and Democratic officials, some of whom pointed to the contradiction between the president's free speech rhetoric and his decision to expel newsrooms.
Trump then pivoted to predicting that if Democrats take power, they will end the filibuster and grant statehood to Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.