Newsmax:  President Donald Trump on Friday defended his decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, saying the three outlets have repeatedly published “fake news” and suggesting others could face similar restrictions.

“Because they’re fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after being asked how the ban was consistent with the First Amendment. His comments aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform.

Trump said the decision resulted from “cumulative stories over the last two years,” accusing the outlets of deliberately publishing negative coverage to hurt Republicans and his administration.

“You need a free press. You need a fair press and an honest press,” Trump said. “And CNN, and you know it and everybody knows it. … You know how fake their reporting is. It’s one-sided.”

Trump announced the ban earlier Friday on Truth Social, saying it was effective immediately and accusing the three outlets of “reporting” what he called “FICTION and LIES.”

“Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” Trump wrote.

The president did not specify in the post whether the outlets would lose their White House credentials entirely or be excluded only from certain presidential events. The Associated Press reported that CNN’s exclusion would affect the traditional five-network television pool that provides coverage of presidential activities.

Asked whether he was trying to intimidate the press, Trump said, “No, no, no, no. I dislike dishonest press. … I like to see honest press.”

Trump also repeated his claim that the federal government under former President Joe Biden gave Politico about $8 million “to keep them afloat.”

Federal spending records showed government agencies collectively paid Politico more than $8 million in fiscal 2024, but those payments were for subscriptions and services, including Politico Pro, instead of a subsidy or grant to the company. The U.S. Agency for International Development accounted for $24,000 that year for an E&E News subscription.

Trump argued that the Constitution does not require him to give the outlets access to the White House.

“If they want to write them, that’s fine, but I don’t have to let them into my — into the people’s house,” he said.

The question of how far a president can go in restricting news organizations has previously reached federal court.

During Trump’s first term, the White House revoked CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass following a contentious November 2018 news conference. CNN sued, alleging violations of Acosta’s First and Fifth Amendment rights, and a federal judge ordered the administration to temporarily restore his credentials.

Trump referenced that dispute Friday, saying the administration ultimately did not have to take the case further because Acosta had “discredited himself.”

“Depends on the judge you get, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “I don’t think that a court should allow fake news to be written day after day after day.”

A separate legal fight over White House press access began last year after the administration restricted The Associated Press from limited-space presidential events because the wire service continued using “Gulf of Mexico” rather than exclusively adopting Trump’s “Gulf of America” terminology.

A federal district judge initially ruled the administration could not exclude the AP based on its viewpoint. A divided federal appeals court later stayed that order, allowing the White House to maintain control over access to restricted spaces while the litigation continued.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s White House press secretary during his first term, defended the president Friday while standing beside him.

“I think it’s hard for you to argue against a free press when you’re literally standing in the Oval Office asking questions of the president of the United States,” she said. “He’s been more accessible and easier to talk to than any president in history.

“I think the president is right to support the First Amendment, but he’s also right to ask that you be honest and fair. That’s not an unreasonable thing.”