President Trump said on Friday he is banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage of his administration

On February 24, 2017, the White House excluded several major news organizations, including CNN, The New York Times, Politico, the Los Angeles Times, and BuzzFeed, from an off-camera press briefing, known as a "gaggle." This decision, which was called "unprecedented in the modern era" by veteran White House journalists, significantly escalated tensions between the Trump administration and the press. Reporters from the excluded outlets were told they were not on the approved list to attend the briefing held in Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office.

Administration spokeswoman Sarah Sanders defended the move, stating the White House "had the pool there so everyone would be represented and get an update." While the White House press pool typically includes representatives from various media types, only CNN was blocked among the major television networks, with NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox News invited. Conversely, conservative media organizations like Breitbart News, The Washington Times, and One America News Network were granted access, while The New York Times was kept out.

The decision drew strong condemnation from numerous media organizations and press freedom advocates. CNN called it "an unacceptable development," suggesting it was retaliation for unfavorable reporting. New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet stated, "Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history." The Wall Street Journal, whose reporter was present, expressed strong objection and vowed not to participate in similar closed briefings in the future. The Associated Press, Time magazine, and USA Today boycotted the briefing in solidarity with their blocked colleagues.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, when questioned during the gaggle, denied that the exclusions were due to dissatisfaction with reporting, instead claiming he decided to expand the pool of attendees to include certain organizations. However, many outlets, including The Washington Post and Politico, criticized the move as an "undemocratic path" and an attempt to punish news organizations whose coverage the administration disliked. The White House Correspondents Association also protested the handling of the gaggle.