CNN barred from traveling with Trump on Air Force One for Tennessee trip
Quick Look
CNN has been excluded from President Donald Trump's media pool for a trip to Tennessee to attend a college football game, continuing a pattern of White House restrictions on certain news outlets that were previously ruled likely unconstitutional by a federal judge.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The White House had previously banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW journalists from the White House after accusing them of writing 'fiction or lies' about the administration. A federal judge later ruled that barring news outlets from the White House was likely unconstitutional, forcing the administration to allow them back in, at least temporarily.
US broadcaster CNN has been barred from travelling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for a trip to Tennessee on Saturday.
The move is the latest in a battle between the White House and the media after it was forced to lift its ban on some news outlets.
CNN was scheduled to fly with Trump for his trip to Tennessee for a college American football game until a note released on Friday night by the White House did not list the broadcaster on the media schedule.
The BBC has requested comment from the White House.
CNN has reported that no other outlet was listed as replacing them in the president's tentative schedule.
Last week Trump banned CNN, Politico and MS NOW journalists from the White House after accusing them of writing "fiction or lies" about his administration.
All three media outlets said they were pursuing legal action, and accused Trump of violating their constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of the press.
Four television networks that have a daily rotation of White House coverage along with CNN - ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC - had paused their broadcasts of the president in solidarity with the banned outlets.
The White House then launched its own streaming channel, Trump TV, ahead of the United General Assembly in New York.
A federal judge has since ruled Trump barring news outlets from the White House was likely unconstitutional and the administration had to let them back in, at least for now.
However, the White House still denied entry to some CNN and MS NOW reporters assigned to cover arrivals for a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday.
A White House communications account earlier posted on X that "contrary to what the Fake News wants you to believe, they don't just get to have free rein into every part of the White House, every event, and every press call".
Regular US television coverage resumed on Friday after White House officials allowed reporters entry.
The president is set to attend a football game between University of Tennessee vs University of Texas College at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville from midday on Saturday.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
CNN will pursue legal action against the White House for excluding them from the presidential travel pool
Likely · Within weeks
The White House will face continued legal challenges regarding its restrictions on media access
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will CNN's exclusion from the Tennessee trip be temporary or part of a renewed pattern of restrictions?
- What legal actions, if any, will CNN pursue in response to this latest exclusion?
- How will other media outlets respond to CNN's exclusion from the presidential travel pool?
