Hegseth backs Trump as White House bans major media outlets

Defense secretary throws his weight behind president as CNN, MS NOW and Politico face exclusion from White House

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has thrown his full support behind Donald Trump after the president announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were being banned from the White House.

Hegseth said the Department of War supported Trump's decision to “kick CNN, MS NOW and Politico to the curb” so they could publish what he described as “Fake News” from outside the White House.

The intervention by one of Trump's most senior cabinet officials came after the president announced the move on Truth Social, accusing the three outlets of constantly reporting “FAKE NEWS” about his administration.

Trump also warned that other media organisations could be next.

Trump: ‘They’re fake news’

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office shortly afterwards, Trump was asked why he had targeted the three organisations.

“Because they're fake news,” he said, attacking CNN and MS NOW and accusing Politico of publishing false stories.

Trump said there were other outlets that might join the list, adding that the country needed “honest news.”

However, there was initially no clear indication of exactly how the ban would work.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists were still at the White House later on Friday, with no immediate mass removal of reporters.

Legal battle could follow

The move is likely to face a legal challenge.

CNN said it stood behind its White House team and its “fair and accurate reporting”, arguing that journalists have a constitutional right to report from the White House without government interference.

Politico also said it would continue reporting on the Trump administration and would defend its First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict access.

The Associated Press reported that a 1977 federal appeals court ruling, Sherrill v. Knight, established that although the White House is not required to provide press facilities, once it does so it cannot arbitrarily deny access based on the content of a journalist's reporting.

Any denial must meet legal requirements, including a compelling government interest and due process.

Another escalation in Trump’s media war

The latest confrontation comes after a series of battles between Trump and major news organisations during his second term.

The administration has already fought with the Associated Press over its refusal to adopt Trump's preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico, while other media organisations have also become involved in legal disputes with the White House.

The proposed exclusion of CNN is particularly significant because CNN has traditionally been part of the television news pool that provides coverage of the president's movements and events.

For now, however, the precise scope of Trump's order remains unclear.

What is clear is that the president has threatened to extend the ban beyond the three organisations already named.

And with Hegseth now publicly backing the move, the fight between the Trump administration and the White House press corps looks set to become another major confrontation over who gets access to the president — and on what terms.

ORIGINAL CONTENT: The Hill. AP. CNN.

26 minutes ago, Social Media said:

Hegseth backs Trump as White House bans major media outlets

Defense secretary throws his weight behind president as CNN, MS NOW and Politico face exclusion from White House

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has thrown his full support behind Donald Trump after the president announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were being banned from the White House.

Hegseth said the Department of War supported Trump's decision to “kick CNN, MS NOW and Politico to the curb” so they could publish what he described as “Fake News” from outside the White House.

The intervention by one of Trump's most senior cabinet officials came after the president announced the move on Truth Social, accusing the three outlets of constantly reporting “FAKE NEWS” about his administration.

Trump also warned that other media organisations could be next.

Trump: ‘They’re fake news’

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office shortly afterwards, Trump was asked why he had targeted the three organisations.

“Because they're fake news,” he said, attacking CNN and MS NOW and accusing Politico of publishing false stories.

Trump said there were other outlets that might join the list, adding that the country needed “honest news.”

However, there was initially no clear indication of exactly how the ban would work.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists were still at the White House later on Friday, with no immediate mass removal of reporters.

Legal battle could follow

The move is likely to face a legal challenge.

CNN said it stood behind its White House team and its “fair and accurate reporting”, arguing that journalists have a constitutional right to report from the White House without government interference.

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Politico also said it would continue reporting on the Trump administration and would defend its First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict access.

The Associated Press reported that a 1977 federal appeals court ruling, Sherrill v. Knight, established that although the White House is not required to provide press facilities, once it does so it cannot arbitrarily deny access based on the content of a journalist's reporting.

Any denial must meet legal requirements, including a compelling government interest and due process.

Another escalation in Trump’s media war

The latest confrontation comes after a series of battles between Trump and major news organisations during his second term.

The administration has already fought with the Associated Press over its refusal to adopt Trump's preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico, while other media organisations have also become involved in legal disputes with the White House.

The proposed exclusion of CNN is particularly significant because CNN has traditionally been part of the television news pool that provides coverage of the president's movements and events.

For now, however, the precise scope of Trump's order remains unclear.

What is clear is that the president has threatened to extend the ban beyond the three organisations already named.

And with Hegseth now publicly backing the move, the fight between the Trump administration and the White House press corps looks set to become another major confrontation over who gets access to the president — and on what terms.

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ORIGINAL CONTENT: The Hill. AP. CNN.

If anyone is posting "fake news" it is the master manipulator, Trump.

49 minutes ago, Social Media said:

Defense secretary throws his weight behind president.............

I imagine he pictures himself doing that frequently.

It really does not matter that this man backs Trump, he is the very epitome of an empty suit and the least qualified man to ever occupy his position. One can only hope that he's eventually held responsible for his war crimes and imprisoned.

What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that Hesgeth is a grossly unqualified individual, l a very minor former news host, who was promoted to the an incredibly powerful position of Sec Def. This man might have been qualified to lead the San Diego County of the Boy Scouts, maybe. He's in so far over his head and the man is so drunk with his new found power.

Is Hegseth a traitor? No wonder the Iran war is going so poorly. Seems like he is devoting all of this attention to making sure high ranking, very smart and accomplished women and men of color are not being promoted.

A racist? Absolutely. An abomination? Definitely. Incompetent? Definitely. A traitor? Quite possibly.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, on Thursday, a move that reflects growing hostility between Mr. Hegseth and the Army’s leadership, military officials said.

General George, who was appointed to his position in 2023, led the Army out of one of its worst recruiting crises in history in 2024 and more recently has pushed the service to accelerate its acquisition of cheap drones and other kinds of weapons that have come to dominate the war in Ukraine.

The tension with Mr. Hegseth was not rooted in substantive differences over the direction of the Army, military officials said. Rather it is the product of Mr. Hegseth’s long-running grievances with the Army, battles over personnel and his troubled relationship with Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, the officials said. Over the last year, General George and Mr. Driscoll had formed a tight partnership, officials said.

Mr. Hegseth has also clashed in recent months with General George and Mr. Driscoll over the defense secretary’s decision to block the promotion of four Army officers to be one-star generals.

Two of the officers targeted by Mr. Hegseth are black and two are women on a promotion list that consisted of 29 other officers, most of whom are white men. Mr. Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to remove the officers prompted some senior military officials to question whether they were being singled out because of their race or gender, officials said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/us/politics/hegseth-fires-general-randy-george.html?smid=nytcore-android-share