Trump Reinstates Cable News Ban Hours After Court Order Lifted It
CNN and MS NOW report being denied access to the President's state dinner for China's Xi Jinping, hours after a judge temporarily blocked the ban.
Just hours after the Trump administration was ordered by a federal judge to restore access for CNN and MS NOW, both networks reported being denied entry to cover the President's state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The temporary lifting of the ban, which had been in place since last Friday, appeared to be short-lived.
CNN anchor Erin Burnett announced live on air that the network had been denied access to cover guest arrivals for the state dinner. She stated that the White House had not confirmed the ban's lifting and that it remained unclear when CNN might regain access to cover White House events. Kyle Griffin, a senior producer for MS NOW, also confirmed his network had been denied access.
Earlier on Thursday, a US District Judge granted a temporary restraining order that compelled the Trump administration to allow Politico, CNN, and MS NOW access. However, the networks' reports suggest this order was quickly superseded.
President Trump, in posts on Truth Social ahead of the banquet, criticized the ratings of CNN and MS NOW, attributing their perceived decline to a lack of credibility and accusing them of writing negatively about him. He claimed both networks refused to cover the arrival of Xi Jinping and his wife, stating they avoided covering the event to prevent credit from being given to him. Trump described the state dinner as a