NBC reporter stands up to Donald Trump after he banned CNN from the White House

Chiara Fiorillo Sun, September 20, 2026 at 2:17 AM UTC

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Kelly O'Donnell confronted Donald Trump about the ban -Credit:WireImage

NBC journalist Kelly O'Donnell stood up to Donald Trump after the president announced he would ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.

The 61-year-old reporter, who is the chief justice and national affairs correspondent for NBC News, confronted the Republican leader, 80, in the Oval Office on Friday, September 18. Earlier in the day, Trump, whose marriage to Melania is at its lowest point due to a 'disturbing truth', had announced on his Truth Social platform that he would ban the three media organizations over what he described as "fake news."

The president has faced widespread backlash for his announcement - and even though he said the ban would be implemented immediately, journalists from the three outlets were still on the White House grounds as of late Friday afternoon. As he announced the ban, Trump also warned that more organizations could face similar bans. It comes after a lip reader revealed Trump's 5 tense words to his helicopter pilot during a furious meltdown.

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O'Donnell didn't hesitate to question Trump about his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, saying, "Mr. President, earlier today, you posted that you intend to ban CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House. Every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment." The president immediately replied, "Yeah, I do, too. Much more so than you."

The journalist then asked him, "How do you justify this ban?" Trump replied, "Because they're fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news."

He continued, "When you look at CNN, it's just fake. That's why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW, which used to be MSNBC, which some people called 'MSDNC', the Democratic National Committee. It's fake news. It's fake news."

"So, the First Amendment," O'Donnell said, but Trump interrupted her, saying, "Excuse me, excuse me! And when you look at Politico, they have a government, the government under Biden gave them like $8 million to keep them afloat. And the stories they wrote are fake.

"So, there's a lot of news. And there may be others to join them. Maybe they can get better and we'd like to have them in. But our country has to have honest news. You don't have a country unless you have, as I say, borders, good voting. We're straightening them out. Borders are unbelievable. Nobody has come into our country in the last 17 months illegally."

He concluded, "But you need borders, and you need fair and free voting. And you know what you need? You need a free press, you need a fair press and an honest press. And CNN, and you know it. Everybody knows it.

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The journalist asked the president how he can justify the ban -Credit:FOX NEWS

"You're intelligent, I've known you a long time. You know how fake their reporting is. It's one-sided. It's never good. I've done many, many .. Look at the story today about favored nations on drugs. We lowered the drug prices by 50, 60, 70 percent. They won't even put it - if they put it on, they will find a reason why it's a negative."

After a clip of the exchange was shared on X, many people accused the president of trying to silence the press he doesn't consider favorable, and not upholding the First Amendment, a part of the US Constituton that protects five basic freedoms - religion, speech, the press, assembly, and petition. One critic posted on the social media platform, "And they say the democrats are the communists?!!! Control the media, throttle the news to the public. Welcome to communism."

Another said, "So he's accomplishing a free press by banning the press he doesn't agree with? He's full of [a poo emoji]." One more X user posted, "Our President is a wanna be dictator. The 25th needs to be enacted. If not, Congress needs to do their job and impeach him. POTUS is tearing up the Constitution right in front of us…"

A fourth tweeted, "Now he has the fake news he likes, a bunch of podcasters, and Sm influencers. Don't feel sorry for CNN at large. I do feel bad for Kaitlin Collins; she's the only one who does her job."

Someone else added, "I never thought I'd live to see the U.S. slide toward authoritarianism. But here we are. And if this comment section is any indication, Trump no longer commands the support he once did."

Trump wrote in his announcement on Truth Social, "I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them 'alive.' Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House."

The president slammed "their constant 'reporting' of fake news." Trump claimed, "Media Outlets shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America."

He warned, "Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Following Trump's statement, CNN denounced the move, saying it stands behind its White House team and their "fair and accurate reporting."

Trump insisted the three outlets are 'fake news' -Credit:Getty Images

"We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government," it said in a statement posted on X. "Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right."

Politico said it would "continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them." MS NOW has not yet issued a formal public statement in response to Trump's announcement.

The National Press Club was one of several groups immediately criticizing Trump's threatened action. The group's president, Mark Schoeff, said, "Banning news organizations from the White House based on the administration's disapproval of their coverage is a clear attempt to control which voices are allowed to witness and report on the exercise of presidential power."

It comes after Trump committed a disgustingly disrespectful act in front of the cameras at the 9/11 memorial.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”