President Donald Trump said Friday that he was barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House because of what he called unfavorable coverage and “fake news,” and he warned that more such media bans could be coming — the latest salvo in the president’s increasingly aggressive response to media coverage he finds unfavorable.

As with many of Trump's other confrontations with news organizations — some of which are playing out in the legal arena — this one has potential First Amendment implications.

The president declared on his social media platform that, effective immediately, “I am banning” CNN, MS NOW and Politico “from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

Minutes later, while speaking at an event in the Oval Office, Trump was asked to account for his statement.

"Because they're fake news," he said.

"One grows so weary of reading and seeing fake news.

When you look at CNN, it's simply fake.

That's why their ratings are no good.

When you look at MS NOW …, it's fake news."

"And if one examines Politico... the narratives they published are fabricated.

Consequently, there exists a considerable amount of news, and there may be others who will align themselves with them, and perhaps they might improve," he said.

"Nevertheless, our nation must possess truthful news."

CNN condemned the move, asserting that it stands firmly behind its White House team and their “fair and accurate reporting.”

“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 stated that 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 did not immediately respond to an email inquiring about the ban.

In his second term, Trump and his administration have escalated their offensive, penalising certain media outlets both in the courtroom and through regulatory measures.

Trump has likewise directed scathing attacks at individual reporters, whether in person or via social media, at times in strikingly personal terms.

The move follows the president’s decision last year to bar reporters and journalists from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other events, in retaliation for the news outlet’s refusal to follow his lead in renaming the Gulf of Mexico, which lies partly in Mexican and other waters.

Reporters said that it would note when appropriate that Trump had ordered it renamed the “Gulf of America.”

Reporters have filed a lawsuit, and the case remains ongoing.

Since his return to office, Trump has initiated further legal proceedings against a range of different outlets, among them The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC.

His administration is likewise embroiled in a long-simmering confrontation with ABC concerning the renewal of its broadcast licenses.

Trump's attempt to block CNN from White House access is particularly notable, as it could disrupt the traditional five-network television pool that accompanies the president and follows his every move — an arrangement meant to provide independent coverage of his actions and interactions for the Americans who elected him and for the world.

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In his social media announcement, Trump refrained from elaborating on how the ban would be enforced.

It happened just moments before Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office as part of a health care event.

He later planned to take the press pool to his golf club in Virginia for a meeting and dinner sponsored by his Super PAC before spending the weekend at Camp David — one of the few places reporters don’t follow him.

“Media Outlets ought not to be permitted to persistently fabricate or disseminate falsehoods in their coverage of the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” Trump wrote.

“Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”

At the event, Trump doubled down on his perspectives regarding various media outlets.

"The New York Times is utterly disingenuous.

The Washington Post is repugnant," he said.

A federal judge determined that the government could not penalize reporters on the basis of its editorial decisions.

An appeals court, however, stayed the greater part of that ruling while it deliberated the Trump administration’s appeal.

Eighteen months on, the case remains unresolved.

In Sherrill v. Knight, a federal appeals court ruled in 1977 that while the White House is under no obligation to open its doors to the news media, once it has established press facilities for credentialed journalists, it cannot deny access on the basis of the content of a journalist's coverage.

The court held that any denial must serve a compelling government interest and that the journalist must be given notice, an opportunity to respond, and a final answer in writing.