Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to bar three major news organizations from the White House reportedly came only hours after close adviser Natalie Harp showed him television clips featuring anchors criticizing his administration.
Harp, among the president’s most trusted aides, played Trump footage from MS NOW on Friday as his simmering anger over unfavorable coverage reached a “fever pitch,” people familiar with the episode told The Wall Street Journal.
Within hours, Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were banned from the White House “effective immediately” — a move that reportedly caught some administration officials off guard.
By Saturday morning, reporters from all three organizations were being stopped at the gates. Journalists said their credentials had been disabled or taken away.
MS NOW correspondent Akayla Gardner and a cameraman were turned away, while CNN reporters were also forced to broadcast from across the street outside the White House grounds.
The reported role played by Harp offers new insight into the latest escalation of Trump’s long-running conflict with parts of the news media.
According to the Journal, Trump had spent months privately and publicly criticizing coverage of his second term. He had also told aides that too few political allies were appearing on television to defend his record.
But a series of critical MS NOW clips shown to him Friday appears to have pushed his frustration over the edge.
Natalie Harp, one of President Trump’s closest aides, showed him footage from MS NOW on Friday, according to the WSJ
CNN correspondent Betsy Klein told viewers Saturday that her press pass had been deactivated and that she was denied entry to the White House, forcing her to report from across the street
MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner was also seen reporting from across the street after being denied entry
Trump soon posted on Truth Social that he was “banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico” from the White House, accusing the outlets of repeatedly publishing “FICTION and LIES.”
Speaking in person, Trump said the decision was not prompted by one specific incident. Instead, he described it as the culmination of years of coverage he had become “sick of.”
“Maybe they can get better, and we’d like to have them in,” Trump said. “Somebody has got to keep them away.”
The order reportedly surprised numerous White House officials, although aides moved quickly to enforce it.
A White House official said senior staff members were with Trump when he made the decision.
One senior administration official expressed frustration with the ban, telling the newspaper that removing reporters was unlikely to generate the more favorable coverage Trump wanted.
Trump had previously considered excluding entire organizations, but advisers had persuaded him to adopt narrower measures. Those options included barring individual reporters from the Oval Office or limiting their access to the smaller White House press pool.
CNN reporter Betsy Klein said her credential had been seized, while Gardner told viewers that a security guard informed her that her badge was no longer active.
Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett also had her credential revoked after Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House
The president has warned that other outlets could also face restrictions. He referred to The New York Times and The Washington Post as “fake news”
CNN’s booth at the White House is pictured before the ban was announced
Jake Tapper opened his Friday night program with a forceful criticism of Trump’s order
“I asked why I was not able to get inside,” Gardner said. “He said it was above him.”
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Politico said its White House reporter, Cheyenne Haslett, had also been denied access.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have condemned the restrictions and vowed to continue reporting on the administration.
CNN described the move as an “illegal assault” on its constitutionally protected journalism rights. MS NOW said it would take whatever steps were necessary to defend its First Amendment protections.
Trump has indicated that the crackdown could extend beyond the three organizations already barred.
When asked Friday about other possible targets, he attacked The New York Times and The Washington Post, calling them “fake news” and “crummy papers.”
“We’re probably not going to display the paper anymore in the White House,” he said. “We haven’t taken the step of throwing them out.”
Trump also criticized Politico over federal government subscriptions purchased during the Biden administration.
During his Oval Office remarks, Trump acknowledged that there was no single specific reason for the ban
Trump and his team have been seeking smaller, tangible victories to highlight as political and economic pressures build ahead of the midterms. Trump is pictured holding a model of a proposed “Independence Arch,” which would also serve as a base for drones and snipers
Ari Fleischer, who was White House press secretary under George W. Bush and has often defended Trump, warned that expelling entire news organizations could create a precedent a future Democratic administration might use against conservative media.
“Banning them from the WH is not the solution,” Fleischer wrote.
The dispute erupted during what the Journal described as an especially difficult period for Trump.
At a recent private Oval Office meeting, Trump complained that prominent Washington figures had not publicly thanked him for his effort to remake the Kennedy Center, according to a senior administration official cited by the Journal.
His attempt to add his name to the institution has instead triggered political resistance and legal battles.
Other setbacks have added to the pressure.
MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner reports from across the street, left, after being denied access; she is pictured smiling on the White House grounds, right
The CNN broadcast booth on the White House grounds sits empty after Trump barred the network from the premises
The Supreme Court blocked the administration from introducing new mail-ballot requirements ahead of the midterms. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh also joined colleagues in voting to raise interest rates despite the president’s objections.
The White House is also grappling with voter concerns about the economy and the war with Iran as the midterm elections draw closer.
The Journal reported that advisers had briefed Trump on the political challenges confronting Republicans, including concerns that the Iran conflict was dampening enthusiasm among parts of his conservative base.
Higher energy prices have created another source of domestic pressure.
Trump has been looking for achievements he can promote publicly.
On Friday, the president announced that Washington had reached a security agreement with Denmark to allow a larger American military presence in Greenland. He is also preparing for another foreign-policy-focused week as he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The Daily Mail has contacted the White House press office for comment but has not yet received a response.
