US President Donald Trump confronted a CNN reporter during his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, questioning why the network was
covering him after CNN was removed from the White House's rotating television press pool. “I’m surprised CNN is here covering me. You shouldn’t be here. You said you weren’t going to cover me. You shouldn’t be covering me,” Trump said. Collins replied, “The United Nations allowed us in, sir.” After the exchange with Trump, Collins explained that the UN provided CNN’s credentials to cover the General Assembly, not the White House. “We never said we were not going to cover the president,” Collins told viewers. “We will continue to cover the president despite their efforts to block CNN from accessing the White House grounds, which we are currently fighting in court.” The exchange comes amid a widening dispute between the White House and several major news organisations over presidential press access. CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit on Monday after their White House credentials were revoked, arguing that the administration's action violated their First Amendment rights.
Trump to CNN while entering UNGA:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 22, 2026
I’m surprised CNN is here covering me. You shouldn’t be here.
You said you weren’t going to cover me. You shouldn’t be covering me. pic.twitter.com/NEMt8m9ywm
CNN Removed From White House TV Pool
CNN had been scheduled to handle the rotating television pool responsible for providing shared footage of Trump's presidential events. After the White House barred the network, the pool announced that it would not appoint a replacement for Trump's UN trip.
ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC joined the decision to halt pool coverage of presidential events, meaning there was no designated television camera travelling with Trump for the trip.
The dispute escalated after reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied entry to the White House and had their credentials revoked. The three organisations have asked a federal judge to restore their access while the legal challenge proceeds.
Trump has defended the restrictions by accusing the outlets of publishing what he calls “fake news”. The White House has maintained that the First Amendment protects the outlets' right to publish but does not guarantee access to the White House.
Trump Continues To Attack Media Coverage
The confrontation in New York came as the White House press dispute moved into the courts. The case has been assigned to US District Judge Timothy Kelly, with a hearing on the media organisations' request for temporary relief scheduled for Wednesday.
The immediate dispute, however, has already affected how Trump's public appearances are being covered. With the regular television pool suspended for presidential events, the White House has relied on its own camera operation for parts of the president's schedule.
