White House excludes CNN from Air Force One trip to Tennessee

The White House excluded CNN from Air Force One as President Donald Trump traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas.

CNN had been scheduled to represent the U.S. network television pool, whose members rotate responsibility for recording the president and distributing footage and information to other major broadcasters. White House guidance issued Friday night instead included conservative outlet Real America’s Voice News, which is not part of the five-network pool. A written pool report Saturday morning said there was “no TV pool,” though Real America’s Voice said it would make its feeds available to other outlets.

The decision followed a broader dispute over press access. Trump had barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds after accusing them of publishing false reports. The three organizations sued, alleging violations of their First Amendment rights, while ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC paused their pooled television coverage in solidarity.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily blocked the White House ban early Thursday, finding insufficient factual support for the administration’s national-security justification. His order addressed press credentials for access to White House grounds but did not directly address television pool assignments or travel aboard Air Force One. An attorney for the three outlets said they believed the ruling also covered pool access.

The White House did not respond to requests for additional explanation reported by the Associated Press. Trump wrote Saturday that “fake news” should not be allowed in the White House.