Bill Clinton criticizes Trump's press ban, says he wanted to bar reporters too but refrained

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Bill Clinton said that he had considered banning the White House press corps during his presidency as well but ultimately refrained from doing so, as President Donald Trump faced a legal challenge over restrictions imposed on three news outlets.

Speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative 2026 summit earlier this week, Clinton said constitutional protections were the reason that he did not act on his frustration with the press. Around the same time, Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access over their "false" coverage of his administration.

Bill Clinton says he considered banning the press

Clinton acknowledged that there were periods during his presidency when he wanted to prevent White House reporters from covering the administration.

However, referring to the limits imposed by the Constitution, the former president said, “there were lots of times when I wanted to ban the White House press corps.” He then added, “And there's a reason we have a constitution. Because none of us are immune from being pissed off.”

Clinton was referring to the immense pressures his administration faced from the media, including coverage surrounding his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The affair became a major political scandal in the late 1990s and led to Clinton’s impeachment by the House of Representatives in December 1998. Clinton was later acquitted by the Senate.

Clinton said he was ultimately glad that he did not have the ability to remove the press from the White House. “But I’m glad I never did, and I’m glad I couldn’t. And these people shouldn’t. The law should be what it is,” he said.

Trump has, however, defended his decision to restrict the three outlets, accusing them of publishing inaccurate coverage. The Republican leader said that the White House was not attacking the free press, something which he “cherishes,” but was instead targeting what he called “fake news, something that has grown like cancer in our beloved United States of America” and describing it as a national security threat.

Court orders Trump administration to restore press access

The three outlets under Trump’s scrutiny, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, subsequently sued the administration after their access to the White House was revoked, arguing that the ban violated their First Amendment rights.

Consequently, on Thursday, September 24, US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to temporarily reinstate the outlets’ press badges. The outlets initially continued to face access restrictions after the ruling, before journalists were allowed into the White House later that day.

Clinton’s remarks also echoed other former presidents who weighed in on the dispute.

Former President Barack Obama also addressed the controversy at an event on Monday, September 21, saying that the issue “should not be a partisan issue," as this “should be something that rises above partisanship.” Obama added that he was not surprised by the ban, and that the decision comes across as if “the president of the United States can’t take some criticism." 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also described the restrictions as “deeply disturbing” and said press access was part of the broader political and democratic process.