WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday accused President Donald Trump of assaulting the First Amendment and of being too fragile to face honest reporting, escalating the top Senate Democrat’s criticism of the White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The post came hours before a federal judge was set to hear the outlets’ bid to restore their access.
Schumer, the New York Democrat who leads his party in the Senate, published the statement on X at 12:19 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2026. The full text of the post reads:
“Trump banning CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House is an assault on the first amendment, plain and simple.
Trump is so fragile, so thin-skinned, and so desperate that he can’t handle a little honest reporting.
But there’s no hiding from a record as abysmal as his.”
The three-part statement moves from a constitutional charge to a personal one. Schumer first calls the ban an assault on the First Amendment, then describes the president as “fragile,” “thin-skinned” and “desperate,” and finally argues that Trump’s record cannot be hidden from voters.
The Ban
Trump announced the ban Friday, Sept. 18, in a Truth Social post. He said the three outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES” when covering his administration, and he warned that other outlets would follow.
Speaking in the Oval Office later that day, Trump attributed the decision to “cumulative stories” over several years and did not point to a specific report. He also said the ban was worth pursuing even if it fails in court, telling reporters it was “good to point it out whether it survives or doesn’t.” He suggested it could be lifted if the outlets “straightened themselves out.”
The ban took effect the next morning. Secret Service officers collected press passes from journalists at the three outlets when they arrived at the White House on Saturday. MS NOW said its reporters were denied access to the grounds.
Schumer’s Earlier Response
Schumer had already condemned the move on the day it was announced. In a Sept. 18 post on X, he wrote that Trump “just did what dictators throughout history have done” and added: “This is a democracy. You will not be able to manipulate the news or hide the truth.”
Press freedom groups reached similar conclusions. Bruce D. Brown of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called the ban “flatly unconstitutional,” and the Freedom of the Press Foundation called it a blatant violation of the First Amendment. Politico said it would “vigorously defend” its rights, and MS NOW said it would take “any and all steps necessary.”
The Court Fight
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued on Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington. They allege the ban violates the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause. Their filing calls it a “direct assault on the First Amendment.”
In a filing late Tuesday, the Justice Department argued that “access to the White House is a privilege — not a right.” It said the president concluded the outlets failed to meet standards of professionalism, including by publishing sensitive or classified information. The administration gave the outlets until Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. to contest the decision.
The dispute has already disrupted the pool of television networks that travels with the president. CNN was scheduled to serve as network pool on Monday, and without a replacement, no television network traveled with Trump, which CBS described as unprecedented. Networks suspended pooled coverage of his movements, according to the Globe and Mail.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, will hear the request for a temporary restraining order at 3:30 p.m. ET Wednesday by videoconference. Kelly handled the 2018 case in which CNN’s Jim Acosta sued over his revoked press pass and ordered it restored. Trump said of Kelly that “he’s not a particularly fair judge,” according to BusinessToday.
A Broader Pattern
The ban is the latest in a series of clashes between Trump and the press. The White House barred Associated Press journalists from certain events in 2025 after the wire service declined to adopt the name “Gulf of America,” and that case is still pending. MS NOW reported that the administration’s actions against the media have also included ejecting news organizations from the Pentagon and reviewing broadcast licenses.
The White House has defended the ban in talking points sent to congressional Republicans. They argue that no member of the press has a freestanding constitutional right to access the White House complex. More than four dozen news organizations and media groups filed a brief Wednesday supporting the outlets, calling the administration’s rationale “transparently viewpoint discriminatory.”
The dispute unfolds ahead of the November midterm elections. Reuters reported that Trump has accused the media of trying to hurt Republicans as his declining popularity threatens the party’s hold on Congress. Schumer, who also spoke Wednesday about Trump’s handling of AI chip sales to China, framed the ban as an effort to avoid scrutiny, saying “there’s no hiding from a record as abysmal as his.”
The judge is expected to weigh whether the ban is lawful, but the outcome could also shape how far any White House can go in restricting press access. Free speech experts told Reuters that courts have long held the government cannot condition access on favorable coverage once it has opened the space to the media.