U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House for Florida, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 20, 2026. REUTERS Nathan Howard
On Monday, President Donald Trump got a head start on venting his anger toward a court ruling that hasn’t happened yet, raging on social media about a judge he himself appointed. The president was responding to news that a lawsuit filed against him and his officials by press organizations banned from the White House had been assigned to a judge who had previously ruled against him, and he was decidedly unhappy about it.
According to Trump, “As expected, Fake News CNN, Politico (Pay back the 8 Million Dollar contribution made by the U.S. Government to keep them afloat!), and MSNOW (formerly known as MSDNC!), have brought suit to gain access to the White House, and your President, ME! They have drawn a great Judge, for them, a man who ruled in favor of Jim Acosta, who now seems to have disappeared from the Planet. The Judge’s name is Tim Kelly, and he was, sadly, appointed by ‘TRUMP.’” The president asserted that he will appeal the judge’s decision – which has not been handed down yet as the case not even heard – “almost without question.” He went on in that vein for a while, ranting that the White House had been “defiled by Third Rate Clowns,” touting his 2024 election victory, and saying he will do “whatever is necessary” to save the country from “fake news.”
“Trump says he will appeal ruling on his media ban,” noted First Amendment lawyer Adam Steinbaugh. “The court has not yet ruled.” He then added, “Trump is right: he is going to lose.”
“I appreciate Trump acknowledging, before any briefs are filed by the DOJ, that he is 100 percent going to lose at the District Court,” jibed attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick.
The lawsuit follows Trump’s announcement over the weekend that he was banning Politico, MS NOW, and CNN from the White House in response to what he called “purposefully negative stories.” According to CNBC, “Journalists from the outlets were prevented from entering the White House on Saturday and had their credentials taken away, a day after Trump announced he would bar them from working there.” After the outlets filed suit, “Judge Timothy Kelly later Monday ordered the Department of Justice to respond to the outlets’ request for a temporary restraining order against the ban by Tuesday.”
“This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles,” thelawsuit says, arguing that the ban has already “severely impeded the ability of” the three outlets to cover Trump and his administration. The ban has also caused issues for the president himself, who, during a press event shortly after the suit was filed, was unable to be heard due to the lack of microphones.