President Donald Trump confronted a CNN journalist at the United Nations on Tuesday, telling her she should not be covering him amid an ongoing dispute over a White House ban on several news organizations. The incident occurred as the Department of Justice prepared to defend Trump’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds.
The exchange took place shortly before Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York. CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked the president about a poll indicating that two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. is not winning its conflict with Iran. In response, Trump expressed surprise that CNN was present to cover him, telling Collins, “You should not be here covering me,” after pointing toward her.
Collins interjected that the United Nations had allowed CNN to attend the event. Trump maintained, “You should not be here,” and accused the network of previously stating it would not cover him. Collins later clarified on air that CNN had never announced it would cease covering the president and affirmed the network’s intention to continue reporting on his administration despite the White House ban.
The White House’s media restrictions took effect last Saturday when Secret Service personnel revoked press passes from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico journalists attempting to enter the grounds. Trump cited what he characterized as false reporting by the outlets, though he did not identify specific stories. The three organizations responded by filing a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., seeking to overturn the ban. Their complaint argues that Trump’s actions violate the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
A hearing on the case is scheduled for Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who previously ordered the restoration of Jim Acosta’s White House credentials in 2018 after they had been revoked. Kelly has directed the Department of Justice to file a response by Tuesday.
On Monday, in response to the ban’s impact on media operations, four of the five networks participating in the White House press pool announced they would suspend pool coverage ahead of Trump’s U.N. trip. The suspension arose because CNN was excluded from its planned rotation as the pool broadcaster. These networks include ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, and NBC News. Despite the suspension, individual coverage by these networks and CNN of the president’s visit to New York continues.
MS NOW reported obtaining White House talking points distributed to congressional Republicans defending the ban. Among the points, the administration states that no president has provided greater transparency or time to the press, and that the First Amendment guarantees the right to publish but does not compel the White House to grant specific media outlets access to credentials, the briefing room, or the press pool. The talking points also characterize inaccurate reporting from inside the White House as "an intentional breach of professional decorum" that disrupts the administration’s mission.
President Trump expressed skepticism about a favorable ruling from Judge Kelly and indicated he might comply with a court order restoring access, saying, “It probably will, because this is a judge who's not a particularly fair judge.” The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and certain media organizations over press access and coverage.