Hours after a federal judge ordered the restoration of press access, President Trump's administration re-imposed restrictions on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico journalists attempting to cover a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday evening. Reporters from these outlets were denied entry to the event despite the morning's court-mandated reinstatement of their credentials, with CNN permitted only a photojournalist and audio technician rather than its full reporting team. This swift reversal underscores the ongoing constitutional confrontation between the administration and these news organisations over media access.

Federal Judge Timothy Kelly's overnight ruling determined that the original week-long ban "likely violated" the outlets' constitutional due process rights and found no factual basis for national security justifications offered by the administration. The White House Operations director had confirmed by 09:45 that credentials were restored, allowing the three outlets to return Thursday morning, but evening restrictions at the state dinner represent a significant compliance challenge to the judicial order. The dispute has disrupted coverage of the diplomatic event and prompted other major broadcasters, including Fox News, NBC, CBS and ABC, to withdraw coverage in solidarity, with no confirmation yet that they will resume operations at the White House.