Donald Trump speaking animatedly, mid-sentence, outdoors.Trump Bars CNN, MSNBC, Politico; Calls Press 'Treasonous'
Left says
- •Barring entire news organizations from White House access because their coverage is unflattering represents a direct attack on press freedom and the First Amendment.
- •Calling journalists 'sick, treasonous, and demented' for asking legitimate questions about the Iran war and other policy failures normalizes authoritarian rhetoric toward the press.
- •Attacking the federal judge overseeing the media outlets' lawsuit as 'totally disloyal' undermines judicial independence and the rule of law.
- •Kaitlan Collins was properly credentialed by the United Nations and never said CNN would stop covering the president, meaning Trump's justification for confronting her was based on a falsehood.
Right says
- •Trump and his administration argue CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have a longstanding pattern of biased, dishonest coverage that amounts to 'FICTION and LIES' rather than legitimate journalism.
- •Karoline Leavitt's account that reporters privately apologize for unfair questions dictated by corporate bosses suggests the press corps' adversarial posture is manufactured for ratings rather than genuine inquiry.
- •The president has discretion over who receives special access to the White House press briefing room, and other networks continue rotating through pool coverage duties.
- •Trump's frustration reflects a broader belief that outlets like CNN behave as political opponents rather than neutral observers, justifying his sharp rhetoric toward reporters like Collins.
Common Take
High Consensus- CNN, MS NOW, and Politico had their White House press credentials revoked over the weekend before the UN exchange occurred.
- The three outlets filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to regain access, with U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly presiding.
- Kaitlan Collins was present at the United Nations General Assembly covering Trump's visit, and CNN did not formally announce it would stop covering the president.
- TV pool coverage was suspended by other networks in protest of the ban, affecting video access to certain presidential events.
The Arguments
Left argues
Barring entire news organizations from White House access because their coverage is unflattering represents a direct attack on press freedom, punishing outlets for the content of their journalism rather than any legitimate security or logistical concern.
Right counters
The White House press pass is a privilege, not a constitutional entitlement, and the president has latitude to decide which outlets receive special access, especially when other networks continue to rotate through pool coverage duties.
Right argues
Trump and his administration argue CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have a longstanding pattern of biased, dishonest coverage that amounts to 'FICTION and LIES' rather than legitimate journalism, justifying the decision to exclude them from privileged access.
Left counters
Disagreement with coverage tone or framing is not the same as proving falsehood, and using the government's power to punish disfavored outlets sets a precedent that could be turned against any press critical of those in power.
Left argues
Calling journalists 'sick, treasonous, and demented' for asking legitimate questions about the Iran war normalizes authoritarian rhetoric that delegitimizes the press as an institution rather than engaging with substantive criticism.
Right counters
Trump's frustration reflects a genuine belief, shared by many Americans, that outlets like CNN function as political adversaries rather than neutral observers, and sharp rhetoric is a response to what he sees as years of hostile coverage, not an attempt to silence dissent.
Right argues
Karoline Leavitt's account that reporters privately apologize for unfair questions dictated by corporate bosses suggests the adversarial posture of the press corps is often manufactured for ratings or institutional pressure rather than reflecting genuine journalistic inquiry.
Left counters
Even if some reporters feel institutional pressure, that does not make their questions illegitimate; Kaitlan Collins's question about the Iran war was substantive and grounded in public opinion data, not a performative attack.
Left argues
Attacking the federal judge overseeing the outlets' lawsuit as 'totally disloyal' undermines judicial independence and signals that Trump views the courts as instruments that should side with him rather than neutral arbiters of the law.
Right counters
Presidents have long criticized judicial rulings they disagree with, and pointing out that a Trump-appointed judge ruled against him is simply commentary on outcome, not a genuine threat to judicial independence.
Challenge Questions
These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.
Right asks Left
“If press credentials are a form of protected access rather than a right, why is denying them to specific outlets over disputed coverage necessarily a First Amendment violation rather than a permissible exercise of executive discretion?”
Left asks Right
“If the concern is genuinely about biased coverage rather than punishing dissent, why does the ban target only outlets critical of Trump while friendlier outlets facing their own credibility controversies remain unaffected?”
Outlier Report
Left Fringe
Progressive commentators like Brian Stelter and some MSNBC hosts frame this as full-blown authoritarianism/fascism, a view held by roughly 20-25% of the left that goes beyond mainstream Democratic messaging of 'press freedom concerns.'
Right Fringe
Figures like Stephen Miller and some Breitbart commentators argue CNN and MSNBC should lose all credentials permanently as 'enemy propaganda,' a harder-line stance held by maybe 25-30% of the right beyond the more moderate 'media bias is real' position.
Noise Assessment
High noise ratio; cable news and social media amplify the conflict far beyond how much everyday Americans think about White House press credentialing disputes, which rank low as a voter priority compared to economic or policy issues.
Sources (6)
The president doesn’t understand how journalism works.
Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ripped the performative nature of the press corps, calling out D.C. journalists as camera-hungry phonies who secretly apologize off-air for the nasty hit pieces their bosses force them to churn out. Leavitt’s comments come right on the heels of President Donald Trump targeting three top mainstream outlets, barring ...
<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/trump-slams-sick-treasonous-and-demented-journalists-after-berating-cnn-s-kaitlan-collins.jpg?id=67828175&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C53%2C0%2C54" /><br /><br /><p>The president <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/media/6105932-donald-trump-kaitlan-collins-un-general-assembly-coverage-media-ban/" target="_blank">continued</a> his rhetorical attacks on the mainstream media after issuing a <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-fake-news-ban-outlets" target="_blank">controversial</a> ban on several outlets from the White House.</p><p>CNN, MS NOW, and Politico have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to regain access, while other news outlets have <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/pool-boycott-trump-news-ban" target="_blank">boycotted</a> the press pool as a form of protest.</p><p class="pull-quote">'She’s got a ''TRUMP'' addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC. They’re all sick, treasonous, and demented!'</p><p>President Donald Trump fired back <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117318329260090686" target="_blank">in a post</a> on the Truth Social platform.</p><p>"All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate 'Reporter,' Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me," he wrote.</p><p>The president was referring to an episode in which Collins asked him when the Iran war would end during his visit to the United Nations General Assembly.</p><p>"Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations?" he added. "Why was she there? She’s got a 'TRUMP' addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC. They’re all sick, treasonous, and demented! The 'good news' is that they have a great, for them, and totally disloyal Judge."</p><p>Collins later said that she was credentialed by the United Nations and denied that CNN had said the network was never going to cover the president.</p><p>"We will continue to cover the president and his speech and as he meets with world leaders today, just not with a TV camera from one of the five major networks in the room," she said.</p><p>U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is presiding over the case and was appointed by Trump in his first term as president.</p><p>Collins also faced <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/07/25/trump-bans-a-cnn-reporter-and-fox-news-takes-a-firm-stand-on-it" target="_blank">restrictions</a> from the White House in 2018. Fox News defended her at time and called on the administration to back off. </p><p><strong>RELATED: </strong><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/cameron-kasky-child-trafficking-trump" target="_blank"><strong>'By accident': CNN panelist apologizes after accusing Trump of involvement in Epstein sex-trafficking ring</strong></a></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" style="display: block; padding-top: 56.25%;"></span> </p><p>CNN host Jake Tapper defended Collins in a <a href="https://x.com/jaketapper/status/2102768851167625336" target="_blank">post</a> Wednesday. </p><p>"Not going to dignify the president’s juvenile social media post about our brilliant @kaitlancollins except to say she and we are going to keep doing our jobs," he wrote, "which is to ask and cover the questions voters care about — like those about the war in Iran and the economy." </p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. </em><em><a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a></em><em>! </em></p>
The president also attacked the judge assigned to the lawsuit filed by the media.
<p>President Donald Trump roasted CNN's Kaitlan Collins as he arrived in New York to speak before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), stating that CNN "shouldn't be covering" him at the event.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/22/trump-zings-cnns-kaitlan-collins-for-coverage-of-unga-you-shouldnt-be-covering-me/" rel="nofollow">Trump Zings CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for Coverage of UNGA: ‘You Shouldn’t Be Covering Me’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.breitbart.com" rel="nofollow">Breitbart</a>.</p>
The president was pretty miffed to see the CNN White House correspondent waiting for him at the United Nations — despite his ban.