President Donald Trump expressed frustration with CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins during a press interaction at the United Nations on September 22, 2026. He stated, "You should not be here covering me," in response to a question about a poll indicating that two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. is not winning its war with Iran. Collins pointed out that the United Nations allowed CNN to cover the event, to which Trump reiterated, "You should not be here."
Following the exchange, Collins clarified on air that CNN had not claimed it would stop covering the president. Trump had announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, citing what he described as false reporting. This ban took effect on September 21, when Secret Service officers denied access to journalists from these outlets.
In response, the three media organizations filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, arguing that Trump's actions violated the First Amendment and Due Process Clause of the Constitution. They stated, "We are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes."
On the same day, a consortium of TV news networks, including ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, NBC News, and CNN, announced that four of the networks would suspend pool coverage of the White House due to the exclusion of CNN from the pool. It remains uncertain if this suspension will continue after Trump's return to Washington.
Judge Kelly, assigned to the lawsuit, has ordered the Department of Justice to respond to the request for an injunction against the media ban. A teleconference hearing is scheduled for September 23. Trump expressed skepticism about a favorable ruling, stating, "It probably will, because this is a judge who's not a particularly fair judge."
In a related development, MS NOW reported that it had obtained talking points from the White House regarding the media ban, which included statements about transparency and the rights of the press. The talking points asserted that the First Amendment protects the right to publish but does not guarantee specific privileges for certain outlets. They also criticized what they termed "fabricating facts or reporting verifiable falsehoods" as disruptive to the White House's mission.