US government investigates TV networks that stopped covering Trump

Justice Department turns antitrust law on press-pool shutdown

The Justice Department's Antitrust Division has opened an inquiry into whether the White House television pool's collective halt to presidential coverage last month constituted an illegal group boycott under federal law.^[1]

On 18 September 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, effective immediately, he was banning the news organisations CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House, describing them as fake news outlets that should not hold official access.^[1] Reporters from the three organisations were subsequently denied entry to White House grounds and had their hard-pass credentials deactivated over the following weekend.^[1]

The White House television pool is a rotating arrangement of five major broadcasters that share live coverage of presidential events, a system designed to ensure continuous access for the broader press corps. When the three outlets lost credentials, the remaining pool members suspended coverage collectively. Federal antitrust law prohibits concerted group actions that restrain trade or competition, and the Antitrust Division is now assessing whether that suspension meets the threshold for an unlawful boycott.

Three days after the credential revocations, on 21 September, the White House issued a press release titled "White House Access Is a Privilege, Not a Right", defending the decision and asserting that no organisation holds an entitlement to official access.^[2]

The legal position is complicated by longstanding precedent in Washington. Under D.C. Circuit rulings including Sherrill v. Knight (1977) and Karem v. Trump (2020), a duly issued White House hard pass carries constitutional protections: the Fifth Amendment's Due Process Clause requires that such a pass not be revoked without notice, a hearing and clearly stated standards. Judge Timothy Kelly found the outlets were likely to succeed in showing their hard passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process.^[1]

On 24 September, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a 14-day temporary restraining order requiring the White House to restore the hard-pass credentials of CNN, MS Now and Politico employees immediately, with the order binding on executive branch staff but not on the President personally.^[1] A federal judge extended the order this week, and it now runs until Tuesday.^[4]

Press-freedom groups push back on antitrust framing

Press-freedom organisations have raised sharp objections to the Antitrust Division's line of inquiry, arguing that applying competition law to editorial and access decisions by news organisations sets a dangerous precedent for government interference with the press.

José Zamora, the Committee to Protect Journalists' regional director for the Americas, said in September that the government should not be in the business of censorship but rather devoted to protecting the constitutional right to a free press for all Americans.^[3] On Saturday, after the investigation became public, Zamora said on X: "The government should not use antitrust investigations to intimidate news outlets defending press access."^[5]

A Justice Department spokesperson said group boycotts among business competitors might violate US law.^[5]

The extended restraining order for CNN, MS Now and Politico runs until Tuesday.^[4]