The White House bans CNN from traveling on Air Force One

(CNN) - The White House prevented CNN from traveling on Air Force One on Saturday, a mission that the network would have performed as part of its coverage of US President Donald Trump’s activities on behalf of major television networks.

CNN was scheduled to fly on the plane during his trip to Tennessee for a football game, as part of the White House Joint Television Press Pool, a small, rotating group of journalists that covers the president's movements in limited space and shares the information it gathers with other television networks.

This move - announced on Friday evening in a White House statement outlining the president's agenda - is the latest action taken by the Trump administration against CNN and journalists accredited to the White House in general.

No alternative media outlet has been announced for CNN, meaning there will be no syndicated television coverage of the president's trip.

Last week, Trump announced a ban on CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from entering the White House.

This measure also prevented CNN from traveling on Air Force One and performing its scheduled duties within the joint press group when Trump traveled to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York.

Later, a judge issued a ruling preventing the administration from implementing the decision to ban the three media organizations from entering the White House, and ordered the return of credentials to the affected journalists.

However, the status of the White House Joint Press Group remained ambiguous and unresolved.

Following the CNN ban, other television networks - Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS - refused to perform their duties in the joint group until normal access was restored.

However, the usual coverage resumed on Friday, as CNN participated in the press group during the visit of Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the National Archives building.

It is not yet clear how the White House's move will affect lawsuits filed by CNN, MSNBC, and Politico.

The outside lawyer representing CNN previously stated to broadcaster Jake Tapper that he believes that re-allowing these media organizations to enter also includes participation in the media group dedicated to covering the White House.

The judge gave news organizations until Monday to apply for a preliminary injunction, which would suspend Trump's promised ban for a longer period of time.

A CNN spokesperson declined to comment, and the network also contacted the White House for comment.

The Washington Post was the first to publish a report on the White House's decision.

The Joint Television Media Group is the primary way people around the world watch Trump's speeches and public appearances, providing video footage and information to other news organizations.

“This is the system that allows networks to share video of the president with the entire country,” Jackie Heinrich, current president of the White House Correspondents Association, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “If those networks weren’t there, the media group couldn’t do its job.”

For her part, her guest, Weijia Jiang, a CBS correspondent and former president of the association, said: “America cannot have state television.”

She added: "This is what makes America America; this is why we need independent reporting; this is why this system of joint press groups was created a long time ago and why it is effective; because you need independent parties to act as monitors."

In addition to the joint television group, there are also joint groups for print journalism, radio and photography. This system exists in part due to the fact that presidents travel and give their speeches in places where masses of journalists cannot be present.

The Trump White House produces its own content, including live broadcasts of events.