Trump’s ban put into practice: MS NOW journalists barred from the White House, badges deactivated

On Saturday morning, the ban announced by President Donald Trump against several American media outlets was enforced for the first time in practice: MS NOW’s White House correspondent, Akayla Gardner, was stopped at the entrance and had her security badge deactivated.

Gardner arrived at the White House grounds on Saturday morning (September 19, 2026) with her photojournalist. An officer asked her to hand over her security badge. “He asked me to hand over my badge. He told me it had been deactivated,” Gardner said in a live report from outside the perimeter. “I asked why I couldn’t go inside. He told me it was above him.”

The photojournalist’s badge was also taken and entry denied, while an MS NOW producer managed to get in after her badge scan worked.

This is the first known enforcement in practice of the “ban” that President Donald Trump announced on Friday on Truth Social against CNN, MS NOW and Politico, with entry “effective immediately,” on the grounds that their coverage is “fake news” and cumulatively negative stories.

MS NOW said on Saturday that it “intends to take every necessary step to protect our First Amendment rights and the essential role of independent journalism in our democracy” and that “the White House belongs to the American people.”

The WSJ and CNN also reported the incident; legal experts say the action could be unconstitutional. It was unclear on Saturday whether CNN journalists are also being blocked. Trump is spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential residence in Maryland.

Source: CNN (morning details: Associated Press)