Donald Trump’s Crackpot Media Ban Takes Wild New Turn

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President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban news outlets he doesn’t like has taken another extraordinary turn: the Justice Department is now reportedly investigating the television networks that pushed back against him.

The DOJ—which is headed up by Trump’s former personal attorney, Todd Blanche—has launched an antitrust investigation into ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and even Fox News after the five networks temporarily suspended their shared coverage of the president in protest at his decision to bar three news organizations from the White House, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The newest escalation comes after Trump’s press crackdown backfired spectacularly last month, leaving the White House scrambling to get cameras back into presidential events.

The controversy began Sept. 18, when Trump, 80, announced via Truth Social that he was banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House “as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”

The White House insisted that covering the president was a privilege, not a right.

But the decision sparked a revolt among the television networks that operate the White House press pool. Rather than allow the administration to dictate which journalists could participate, the networks suspended their pool coverage altogether, in solidarity with the banned outlets.

Trump dances for his fans in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Oct, 10, 2026.

The boycott meant that some of Trump’s most anticipated events, including the unveiling of his new White House helipad and portions of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, happened without the expected television coverage.

The networks’ refusal to cooperate also created a predicament for the administration, which could not simply replace the excluded journalists with reporters from other outlets.

A federal judge later intervened, ordering the administration to restore the three news organizations’ White House credentials after finding the restrictions likely unconstitutional.

The networks resumed their shared coverage on Sept. 25, but the White House continued to shut out individual outlets.

CNN was repeatedly barred from its assigned spot aboard Air Force One, while Politico was excluded from Trump’s Oct. 5 trip to Nebraska. Other news organizations refused to take Politico’s place, leaving the seat empty.

Now, the Justice Department is examining whether the networks’ collective decision to suspend coverage violated the Sherman Act, a federal law barring businesses from conspiring to restrict competition.

Six people with knowledge of the situation told The New York Times that DOJ officials contacted the networks Friday seeking communications and other materials related to the press pool.

“Group boycotts among commercial competitors can violate the Sherman Act,” Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington said in a statement. “The Antitrust Division is simply investigating to determine whether these news organizations have violated the antitrust laws.”

In an ironic twist, Trump’s DOJ is also investigating Fox News, a network that has long been one of the president’s biggest media cheerleaders.

MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner reports from the sidewalk outside the White House on Sept. 19, after Trump banned the network.

Meanwhile, CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are continuing their legal battle over the original restrictions, arguing that the White House violated their First Amendment rights by excluding them.

The Committee to Protect Journalists was among more than two dozen news organizations that condemned Trump’s original ban in September, warning that it “sets a dangerous precedent, one in which the President decides what the American people can know and from whom they can know it.”