Rubio defends Trump’s White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico

The White House launched ‘Trump TV’ as major networks suspended the television pool covering the US president.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended US President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, arguing that the administration has restricted their access to the presidential complex rather than their ability to operate as news organisations.

“We’re not closing CNN,” Rubio said in an interview on Tuesday with NBC. “There aren’t a bunch of police officers or soldiers kicking down the doors of MSNBC or MS NOW, whatever it’s called, and arresting people and unplugging it from the grid. They’re just not allowed to work from the workspace at the White House.”

Rubio is the latest senior administration official to defend the decision, after US Vice President JD Vance also backed the move.

“We’re not going to give you special access to the White House if you engage in what is effectively far-left propaganda,” Vance told reporters on Monday, arguing that the move was about “basic fairness”.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, meanwhile, said he told Trump during a meeting at Gracie Mansion on Monday that he wanted all members of the press present at the event.

“We’re going to have all of the members of the press here on the lawn,” Mamdani said. “And that is something that I believe in – everyone, no matter the opinion or the critique that we engage.”

Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the three outlets of repeatedly publishing what he called “fake news” about his administration. The White House said the First Amendment of the US Constitution protects the right to publish but does not guarantee access to the White House, briefing room, or presidential press pool.

The decision was implemented on Saturday, when journalists from the three organisations were denied entry to the White House and had their access credentials revoked.

The outlets sued the administration on Monday, arguing that the ban violates their First Amendment rights and that the government cannot restrict journalists’ access because of their reporting. A federal judge is expected to consider their request for a temporary restraining order.

The dispute has also disrupted the White House television pool, which allows participating networks to share footage and other coverage when space limits the number of journalists who can attend presidential events. Major television networks withheld pool coverage of Trump on Monday after CNN was removed from the rotation.

That same evening, the White House launched “Trump TV”, a 24-hour streaming channel on YouTube and the White House website, featuring 24/7 video streaming of videos and speeches from the president. When it launched, the channel aired an archived Trump speech from July at Mount Rushmore.

“Get real-time updates and live events streamed DIRECTLY to your phone,” the White House wrote on social media. “No noise. Just the news that matters most — straight from the Trump Administration.”