CNN says it was barred from boarding Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Tennessee, the network told reporters on Friday, marking a new restriction in ongoing White House media limits in “news today” coverage.
Al Jazeera reported that CNN “has been barred from flying on Air Force One to cover President Donald Trump” for the Saturday trip, citing the network’s account of being left off the television pool roster for the flight. source
The BBC also reported the White House decision, saying U.S. broadcaster CNN “has been barred from travelling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for a trip to Tennessee on Saturday.” Both outlets described the move as part of a broader dispute over which outlets are allowed on presidential travel pools. source
Media reports said the White House replaced the usual television pool lineup with a conservative outlet for the flight; Mediaite described the removal of CNN from the pool and noted the network’s absence on the roster for the Tennessee trip. source
This action follows a series of access restrictions President Trump announced earlier this month that targeted CNN, MS NOW and Politico; NPR and PBS reported last week that reporters from those outlets had been denied access to White House grounds after the restrictions were announced. source source
The policy has drawn legal pushback: one link in the reporting pool notes a judge ordered an end to the White House ban on reporters, a development that legal commentators and civil liberties advocates picked up on as the dispute continued. internal
Why it matters: travel pool assignments shape who reports on the president on the plane and at destination events. Analysts told outlets that excluding a major cable network from the pool narrows viewpoints available to nationwide audiences during presidential travel segments, a point covered in the recent reporting on this dispute. source
The site’s earlier coverage of Trump’s media moves and reactions shows how this latest decision fits into a pattern: the administration has shifted which outlets perform pool duties and faced criticism from journalists and legal observers, as documented in our recent stories on the topic. internal internal
Sources
- Al Jazeera — reported CNN was barred from flying on Air Force One for the Tennessee trip.
- BBC — reported CNN was barred from travelling with Trump on Air Force One for a Saturday trip to Tennessee.
- Mediaite — detailed the replacement of CNN on the television pool roster and reported on the roster change.
- NPR — reported on the earlier White House ban that denied CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters access to the White House grounds.
- eciks.org — provided local coverage and documented legal reaction, including a judge-ordered end to parts of the earlier ban.
