Fact Check: Did Barack Obama once try to ban Fox News from the White House?

WASHINGTON, DC: After President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, a claim began circulating on social media platforms that former President Barack Obama once tried to ban Fox News from the White House. The claim has sparked speculation among online users, who are calling for a fact-check. 

Claim: Obama tried to ban Fox News from the White House

Following Trump’s ban of some news media outlets from the presidential residence, his supporters on social media claimed that even Obama once tried to ban Fox News during his first term.

The claim has spread on multiple social media platforms under posts about Trump's media ban, with many condemning the former president and accusing the Democrats and liberals of hypocrisy for being silent on the alleged ban. 

The responses indicate that many believe the claim to be real, while a few others remain skeptical and question its authenticity, prompting a fact-check.

Fact Check: The claim is misleading

The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of Obama trying to ban or banning the conservative outlet from White House.

The outlet’s exclusion stemmed from an incident around October 2009, when the White House and Fox were engaged in a bitter feud, with the White House accusing the outlet of acting as the Republican Party's political arm. 

The feud reached a turning point on October 22 that year, when the Treasury Department tried to exclude the outlet’s reporter from the multi-network press pool slated to interview the then-Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation.

This means that Obama did not try to ban Fox News; rather, the White House under him tried to exclude the outlet from one interview for a few hours, which they were eventually allowed to attend due to protests from other media outlets, including CNN.

Trump bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House

The claim resurfaced after Trump, on Friday, September 18, announced that reporters from CNN, Politico, and MS NOW  would no longer have access to the White House, accusing them of “Fake News” coverage, and warned that other outlets could face similar treatment. 

Taking to his Truth Social account, the 80-year-old president wrote, “I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!” 

When asked about the ban at an Oval Office event, Trump told reporters, “Because they’re fake news. You get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW…, it’s fake news.”