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CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued President Donald Trump and other members of his administration for banning ‌them from White House grounds, saying the action violated their free-speech rights under the US Constitution.

The news outlets are seeking a temporary restraining order to block Trump's action in federal court in Washington, DC, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

"This ban could not be a more direct ‌assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," the lawsuit says.

"Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference," the outlets wrote in a joint statement.

"The government does not decide what the press reports or publishes."

Trump announced the ban on Friday on social media, ‌saying those news outlets "shouldn't be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they're covering the President of the United States," and defended it in another post on Monday.

"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!" Trump wrote on Monday, without providing evidence of a national security threat.

Past presidents have battled with the media, but Trump's campaign has been unprecedented.

He has upended decades of tradition by denying basic access to many major news organisations, launching personal attacks on journalists for their reporting, filing lawsuits against media outlets, and elevating outlets seen as more sympathetic to the administration.