Mamdani Challenges Trump Over White House Media Restrictions, Says Press Will Have Full Access

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he told US President Donald Trump that journalists from all media organisations would be welcome to cover their meetings in New York during the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Mamdani made the comments after meeting Trump at Gracie Mansion, amid a growing dispute between the White House and several major news organisations over press access. Trump recently barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, a decision the three outlets have challenged in federal court.

Asked whether he had raised the issue with Trump, Mamdani said he had made clear that the press would have access to events held in New York. “I told the President that we're going to have all of the members of the press here on the lawn,” Mamdani said, adding that he believed journalists should be engaged regardless of their opinions or criticism.

The comments came as CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that their exclusion from the White House violated constitutional protections. The outlets are seeking to restore their access while the legal dispute proceeds. Trump has defended the restrictions, saying the affected organisations have an obligation to report fairly. He has accused CNN and MS NOW of publishing what he described as “fake news” and argued that the White House has a responsibility to restrict access when it believes coverage is harmful.

The administration has maintained that White House access is not automatically guaranteed to individual news organisations, while the media outlets argue that the selective restrictions infringe on press freedoms. The dispute has also affected the traditional White House television press pool. CNN had been scheduled to participate in coverage of Trump's New York trip, but other major television networks subsequently declined to provide pool coverage following the ban.

The controversy is unfolding as Trump and Mamdani engage in discussions during the UN General Assembly in New York. Their meeting at Gracie Mansion brought together the president and the city's mayor at a time when the White House's relationship with parts of the US media is facing renewed legal and political scrutiny.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from X/@NYCMayor.