The stories that got them banned: Trump lists ‘reporting incidents’ in letters to three news outlets

By Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times - Thursday, September 24, 2026

Reporting on the planned military bunker beneath the new East Wing complex and an article about the Defense Department’s munitions shortage are among the stories the Trump administration used to justify banning three media outlets from the White House.

The White House last week revoked the credentials of nearly 80 journalists from Politico, CNN and MS Now after President Trump called their reporting “fake news” and later deemed their coverage a threat to national security.

The administration’s press office sent letters Tuesday to the three outlets, listing their offenses and giving them until Friday to respond.

Mr. Trump’s press team listed news stories containing “sensitive security information,” among them an August 2026 CNN story that cited unnamed sources who reported the U.S. had exhausted most of its interceptors for a critical missile defense system.

The letters to the three outlets cited numerous stories about national security issues that cited anonymous sources.

Their coverage, White House press office officials said, “diverts White House resources and those of the national security team in particular, which must evaluate whether the leaked information is classified, the source of any leak, and the security implications of any such disclosure.”

Some of the reporting deemed offensive by the White House had little to do with national security.

In its letter to Politico, the press office dinged the outlet for using unnamed sources for a story earlier this month in its “Playbook” column that claimed the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas had been a “disaster.”

Mr. Trump’s press team appeared to be referencing a Sept. 9 Playbook column headlined “The vibes are very bad in Texas.”

The piece quotes two secret sources: “A Republican lobbyist close to the White House who attended an RNC donor event at the Ritz-Carlton” in Dallas and an unnamed source “close to the White House.” The second source told the publication they hoped “no one watches” the convention, “since it’s competing versus NFL opening games,” and “hopefully nobody notices the embarrassing show.”

In all, the White House listed six offensive stories published by Politico, three stories aired by MS Now, formerly MSNBC, and four reports by CNN in their letters justifying the ban.

For now, the Trump administration and the media continue to battle over access to the White House.

The three news outlets Thursday morning asked for an emergency hearing after the Secret Service initially defied a new court order reinstating their credentials and ability to enter the White House grounds. Hours later, they were allowed onto the property.

Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14- day temporary restraining order against Mr. Trump’s ban of the three outlets.

The judge ordered the administration to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the press credentials revoked nearly a week ago by the White House.