'This Is a Problem': Republicans Have Major Issue With Trump After White House Bans Outlets Over 'Fake News,' GOP Strategist Claims
Trump announced that Politico, CNN and MS NOW are banned from the White House Sep. 18.
Sept. 22 2026, Updated 7:07 p.m. ET
Republicans are unhappy with Donald Trump after he banned MS NOW, Politico and CNN from the White House, alleges one GOP strategist, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Melik Abdul appeared on CNN on September 21 to discuss the bans. Abdul told the panel, "behind closed doors," Republicans recognize they are problematic – and expressed being tired of this "type of performative thing."
The GOP strategist added: "You ask, 'Well, why can't you say this on television?' We know why – because this is just not what these platforms are for."
GOP Strategist Claims Republicans Privately Oppose Trump’s Press Ban
Trump announced the media ban on Friday.
He also alleged Republicans won't publicly condemn the president's decision because they're scared he’ll bash them on Truth Social, and would no longer be part of Trump's circle.
While Abdul expressed he was unhappy with the press bans, he provided what he called an "obligatory" defense of the president.
The GOP strategist said that when Biden was in office, he revoked press passes from more than 400 reporters.
Additionally, he discussed the Fox News reporter that Obama allegedly spied on during his presidency.
But host Audie Cornish did not seem to buy that Republicans disapprove of Trump's media ban.
"Actually, they're definitely for this. Get up and tell the truth," she told Abdul.
Trump Announces White House Ban on Three Outlets
CNN is among the outlets banned from the White House.
On September 18, Trump took to Truth Social and announced that MS NOW, Politico and CNN are banned from reporting at the White House.
The president wrote: "I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MS NOW…and Politico.
"Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America."
In a press conference hosted immediately after the post, Trump said his administration will "probably not" showcase newspapers from The New York Times and The Washington Post—calling the outlets "fake news" as well.
He added he hasn't started efforts to "throw them out," but in his Truth Social post, he claimed there would be more bans on outlets "to come."
Major Networks Halt Trump Coverage in Solidarity With Banned Outlets
Five other main media outlets, including Fox News, announced they'd limit Trump coverage in solidarity.
To show their support for CNN, Politico and MS NOW – NBC, Fox News, ABC, and CBS announced they will no longer cover the president's events or press conferences.
Similarly, The New York Times and The Washington Post said they'll limit pictures, and NPR announced they won't share audio from the White House.
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Banned Outlets Sue Over First Amendment Rights
The podium where Trump, and other administration members, speak from during press conferences.
Three days after the ban was announced, the three news outlets filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
As seen in court docs obtained by RadarOnline.com, the organizations are arguing the president has no right to deny the news outlets their First Amendment rights "based solely on [Trump’s] dislike of the content of their reporting."
