Major TV Networks Boycott Trump Coverage After White House Bars News Outlets
-
Post By
Emmie
- September 22, 2026
In an unprecedented showdown, major American television networks collectively halted their video coverage of President Donald Trump on Monday.
The stopping of coverage of Trump follows a controversy that started late last week when President Trump banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House, accusing them of producing "fiction or lies" and releasing "purposely negative stories." On Saturday, Secret Service officers turned away journalists from the barred outlets at the gates and confiscated their press credentials.
In response, CNN, Politico, and MS NOW filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in Washington on Monday to challenge the decision. In a shared statement, the outlets explained their motivation for legal action: "Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists' credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."
The legal challenge sparked immediate solidarity across the industry. A coalition of major broadcast networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News all agreed to suspend the traditional shared television press pool that captures footage of presidential appearances.
Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, serving as the rotating chair of the TV pool, notified members that "effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President" after CNN was blocked from fulfilling its assigned duties. Major publications like the Washington Post and the New York Times have also joined the pushback by withholding still photographs of presidential events.
The impact of the blackout was immediately visible during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Marine One helipad on the South Lawn. With professional broadcast crews absent, the White House relied on its own camera feed, but without standard audio equipment, the president's remarks were entirely drowned out by helicopter noise.
Attempting to bypass traditional media, the White House has launched its own 24/7 digital streaming feed dubbed "Trump TV," promoting it on social media with the message: "Get real-time updates and live events streamed DIRECTLY to your phone. No noise. Just the news that matters most – straight from the Trump Administration."
With a federal judge scheduling an initial hearing on the lawsuit for Wednesday, the dispute highlights a deep escalation over media access, leave-it-or-take-it press policies, and First Amendment rights at the nation's highest level.
