President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, saying he believes he has an obligation to prevent news organizations he considers “fake news” from entering the presidential complex.

Speaking to reporters at Gracie Mansion in New York, Trump framed the restriction as a responsibility tied to the presidency and went further by arguing that the outlets were harmful to national security.

“If they’re fake news, I really think I have an obligation not to allow them into another very special house. This is a special house, Gracie Mansion. Well, the White House is the most special of all houses, I have to say, and I don’t even think the mayor would argue with that, and I think I have an obligation not to let fake news. They’re very bad for the country, very bad for national security. So I have that obligation. So we’ll see how it works out.”

The comments came three days after Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the organizations of publishing what he called “FAKE NEWS.” Journalists from the three outlets were subsequently denied access to the White House grounds.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit against Trump and his administration Monday, arguing that the restrictions violate their First Amendment rights and seeking emergency court intervention to restore their access.

The dispute has also disrupted the White House television pool. Major television networks suspended pooled coverage of presidential events after CNN was excluded from carrying out its scheduled pool duties.

Asked about the media response, Trump dismissed the prospect of a boycott, pointing to the number of journalists gathered around him.

“It’s interesting because they said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn’t very worried about that. Look at all that press, but no, I’m not. I’m only doing it because I think the press also has an obligation, and you know I won in a landslide. I won the election in a landslide. I’ve done great things. I’ve done a lot of great things. I’ve settled eight wars…”

Trump then singled out CNN and MS NOW, the network formerly known as MSNBC, accusing both of bias and arguing that news organizations have an obligation to report fairly.

“If you look at CNN, it’s fake news. If you look at MS NOW, I don’t even know what MS NOW is. I guess it’s the MSNBC, what it used to be, or MSDNC, as some people call it that’s Democrat National Committee, but it’s just biased news. And I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair.”

The White House separately defended the restrictions Monday, saying that the First Amendment protects the organizations’ right to publish but does not guarantee them a White House hard pass, briefing room seat or position in the press pool.

The legal challenge now places the dispute over presidential press access before a federal court as Trump maintains that the administration can exclude organizations over coverage he regards as false or unfair, while the affected outlets argue that the government cannot condition access on favorable reporting.

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