Fox joins CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC to black out Trump coverage in unprecedented White House press ban revolt
From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.
Fox News — normally Trump's staunchest broadcast ally — joined all four rival networks in suspending White House pool coverage after Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the grounds on Friday, accusing them of peddling "fiction or lies". The five outlets, which together form the only broadcasters with the resources to distribute live presidential footage, issued a joint statement declaring no administration should bar a news organisation for objecting to its reporting. Trump's visit to the UN General Assembly in New York went unaired on every major network as a result, while the White House launched its own "Trump TV" streaming channel to fill the gap.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, calling the credential revocations a "blatant violation" of the First Amendment.
A First Amendment attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression predicted the administration would "not fare well in court" — but the White House told reporters Trump is not backing down.
Trump dismissed the blackout, telling reporters after meeting New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani: 'They said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me.'