CNN Excluded from Air Force One Amid Press Access Fight

The White House has indicated that CNN will not have a place on Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. CNN’s usual place in the press pool is expected to go to Real America’s Voice, a conservative network that is not part of the pool. Trump is scheduled to attend a University of Tennessee–University of Texas football game. The decision follows a court ruling that allowed CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists back onto White House grounds. US District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily blocked the administration’s ban on the outlets, finding it likely unconstitutional in a case focused on First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press. The ruling covered access credentials for the White House grounds but did not directly settle access to press-pool duties or Air Force One. The outlets’ lawyer said they believed the decision also applied to pool access, while the White House did not immediately explain its position. The article describes how the ban had disrupted the US network video pool, whose five broadcast members take turns filming and sharing footage. After CNN was excluded, the other four providers declined to participate in solidarity. The pool resumed briefly when CNN was permitted to cover Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit at the National Archives, where Trump and their spouses were also present. The article places the latest restriction in a broader pattern of Trump targeting media organisations over coverage he dislikes. It cites his earlier exclusion of Associated Press reporters after the AP declined to adopt his preferred name, “Gulf of America,” for the Gulf of Mexico. That dispute remains on appeal after a district judge ruled for the AP. The White House press pool, created decades ago, is intended to ensure presidential coverage and help hold the president accountable to the public.

CNN has been excluded from the press pool seat on Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is scheduled to attend a college football game. White House guidance assigned the spot to Real America’s Voice News, a conservative outlet that is not one of the five major broadcast organizations in the rotating video pool. The article describes the decision as the latest restriction on media access by the Trump administration. The exclusion follows Trump’s announcement the previous week that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were barred from White House grounds. Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC responded by declining to take part in the pool until access was restored. The three excluded outlets sued, arguing that the White House had violated their First Amendment rights and warning that government interference could threaten press freedom and independent journalism. US District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily blocked the White House grounds ban. He said the government had not supplied factual support for its claim that the restrictions were needed to protect national security, noting that officials had provided no declarations or other evidence explaining how the outlets’ reporting had caused such harm. However, Kelly’s ruling concerned White House press passes and did not specifically address pool assignments or access to Air Force One. The outlets’ attorney, Theodore Boutrous Jr, said the plaintiffs believe the ruling also applies to pool access. The article does not report a definitive ruling on that question. It notes that the Air Force One seat traditionally belongs to a member of the US network video pool, a group that does not include Real America’s Voice News.

CNN has been barred from travelling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for his planned trip to Tennessee on Saturday, despite having been scheduled to accompany him. A White House media schedule released on Friday night did not include CNN, and the broadcaster reported that no other outlet had been named to take its place. The BBC requested comment from the White House. The decision comes amid a dispute over press access. The previous week, Trump barred journalists from CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, accusing the outlets of publishing “fiction or lies” about his administration. The organizations said they were pursuing legal action, arguing that the bans violated their constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of the press. ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC had paused their regular broadcasts of the president in solidarity. The White House also launched a streaming channel, Trump TV, ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York. A federal judge subsequently ruled that barring the outlets from the White House was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to restore their access, at least temporarily. Reporters returned to regular television coverage on Friday, but some CNN and MS NOW journalists were still denied entry when assigned to cover arrivals at a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday. Trump criticized CNN and other media outlets in online posts on Saturday, calling them “fake news” and saying they should not be allowed in the White House. A White House communications account responded that journalists do not have unrestricted access to every part of the building or every event and press call. Trump’s Tennessee trip is to include a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

CNN said its journalists were prevented from boarding Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday, where he was expected to attend a college football game. CNN had been assigned to represent the television press pool for the weekend. In that role, it would cover the president and share video and information with the other four major networks participating in the pool. Instead, the administration substituted Real America’s Voice News, a conservative outlet. The incident is the latest dispute between the Trump administration and media organizations the president considers unfavorable. The previous week, Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing them of reporting “fiction and lies.” Major television networks, including DW, responded by suspending their pooled coverage of the president in solidarity with the affected outlets. On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the White House ban after the news organizations filed a lawsuit. However, the ruling concerned “hard passes” granting access to White House grounds and did not directly address assignments to the press pool. The article therefore reports a new restriction on CNN’s coverage during a presidential trip, while noting that the judge’s order did not explicitly resolve whether CNN could be excluded from pool duties.

The White House indicated that CNN would not have a place on Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. The outlet’s allotted spot was instead given to Real America’s Voice News, a conservative network, according to White House guidance. Trump was scheduled to attend a college-football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas. The decision was presented as the latest media restriction amid an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and news organizations, with possible First Amendment implications. The article places the announcement in the context of a recent court ruling: CNN journalists, along with journalists from MS NOW and Politico, had returned to the White House grounds with television cameras after a judge granted the organizations a reprieve. Trump had barred those outlets from the grounds the previous week. The report describes the change in travel access and the timing of the announcement, but the excerpt does not provide an explanation from the White House for selecting Real America’s Voice in CNN’s place. It also does not detail the court’s reasoning or the terms of the reprieve. Overall, the article focuses on the contrast between the outlets’ return to the executive complex and CNN’s exclusion from the presidential flight, framing both developments as part of a broader conflict over press access.

US television networks resumed White House coverage on Sept 25 during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit, after the administration restored access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico. A federal judge had ordered access reinstated, finding the outlets were likely to succeed in arguing that the ban was unconstitutional. The main First Amendment case remains unresolved, and the outlets have until Sept 28 to ask the judge to maintain their access while litigation continues. The networks’ return allowed the White House press pool to provide video of Xi’s arrival and the leaders’ visit to the National Archives. Pool coverage had been absent during the first two days of Xi’s visit after other networks declined to set up cameras in solidarity with the excluded outlets. The Washington Post also reported that CNN was subsequently blocked from travelling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One, though Reuters said it could not immediately obtain comment from the White House or CNN. The dispute forms part of Trump’s broader campaign against news organisations since he returned to office in 2025, including restricting access, attacking journalists, suing outlets and urging the Federal Communications Commission to revoke broadcast licences. During the resumed coverage, Trump declined to answer reporters’ questions on China, Iran, the media ban and a taxpayer-funded advertisement promoting his presidency, but later praised reporters for what he called “fair coverage.” CNN, MS NOW and Politico argue that the ban violated constitutional protections for free speech and a free press, as well as due-process rights. Press-freedom groups and news organisations, including Reuters, have supported their case. The article also notes concerns about potential editorial influence at CBS News amid Paramount Skydance’s proposed merger involving CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison attended the Trump-Xi state dinner and has pledged to establish an editorial-independence board for CBS and CNN.

CNN was excluded from President Donald Trump’s Air Force One trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, despite a federal judge’s recent order requiring the administration to restore the network’s White House access. CNN had expected to travel with Trump on Saturday, when he was scheduled to attend a college football game. The exclusion has renewed questions about the White House television pool, a rotating group of journalists who travel with the president and share coverage with news organizations. Since the beginning of Trump’s second administration in 2025, the White House has decided which outlets may participate; previously, the White House Correspondents’ Association managed the rotation. The incident follows a legal dispute in which CNN, MS Now and Politico challenged the administration’s revocation of their White House access, arguing it violated the First Amendment. The administration had cited the outlets’ reporting about Trump, who has frequently attacked what he calls “fake news.” The access restrictions prompted members of the press pool to suspend video coverage temporarily. In a joint statement, the pool said the public has a vital interest in accurate, independent information and that news organizations should not be restricted because officials object to their reporting. The administration’s lawyers defended the restrictions in court by raising national security concerns related to reporting involving sensitive and classified information. US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to restore access for the three outlets. Although their journalists were initially unable to enter the White House on Thursday, they were admitted around midday. Later that day, CNN’s editorial team and an MS Now reporter were also prevented from covering a state dinner marking Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. CNN’s exclusion from the presidential flight is presented as a further dispute over press access and the administration’s relationship with news organizations.

The White House has excluded CNN from the television press pool covering President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is scheduled to attend a University of Tennessee–University of Texas football game. White House travel guidance named conservative outlet Real America’s Voice as the secondary television correspondent and crew, while CNN was not listed as the primary pool member. The decision follows a dispute over Trump’s announced restrictions on CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which had temporarily limited the organisations’ White House access and prevented CNN from flying on Air Force One for Trump’s New York trip to the United Nations General Assembly. A judge blocked enforcement of the restrictions and ordered the administration to restore affected reporters’ credentials. After other major television networks declined to take pool duties while CNN remained excluded, coverage resumed on Friday with CNN participating as Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the National Archives. It is unclear whether CNN’s exclusion from the Knoxville travel pool violates or is otherwise affected by the court’s order, and how it will influence litigation. An attorney for CNN had said he believed the restored access also covered the White House press pool. MS NOW and Politico participate in separate rotations from the five major television networks. The judge has given the news organisations until Monday to seek a preliminary injunction that could keep the proposed restrictions on hold for longer. The article explains that press pools allow a limited number of journalists to cover events with restricted space and share footage and information with other outlets. The system includes television, print, radio and still photography rotations, while the Trump White House also creates its own event coverage, including livestreams.