CNN Excluded From Air Force One for Trump's Trip

CNN was not permitted to fly aboard Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s trip on Saturday to a college football game in Tennessee. This latest action marks a continuation of media restrictions implemented by the administration, raising First Amendment concerns.

CNN, which is part of the U.S. network video pool that rotates duties for covering the president, had been scheduled to travel with Trump to a game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas. However, White House guidance issued Friday night instead designated Real America’s Voice, a conservative news outlet, for the travel pool responsibilities.

The White House guidance followed a decision by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to temporarily strike down the president's ban on journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House grounds. While Kelly’s ruling addressed “hard passes” to White House grounds, it did not directly pertain to pool duties or Air Force One travel.

The position on Air Force One is typically reserved for a rotating member of the U.S. network video pool. Real America’s Voice is not a member of this pool. The White House has not commented on the decision. CNN also declined to comment.

A pool report released Saturday morning confirmed the absence of a television pool for the travel, though Real America’s Voice stated it would make its footage available to other news organizations. "CNN is not here; we have taken over that responsibility. We are so excited to be here," said correspondent Taylor Mitchell in a social media video.

President Trump addressed the broader issue on social media Saturday morning, posting, “FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY.”

Earlier on Friday, CNN had been able to broadcast live video from a White House event featuring President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, following the judge's temporary order. This marked the first time in several days that CNN had aired live video of the president. A person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation as "all systems go" at that time.

The TV pool typically includes five major U.S. broadcast outlets. When the White House banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, the other four pool members had declined to participate in solidarity. CNN itself referred to its editorial coverage when asked for comment.

CNN reported on its exclusion from Air Force One, characterizing the move as "the Trump administration’s latest salvo against CNN and the broader White House press corps.”

The White House Correspondents' Association established the press pool decades ago to ensure continuous coverage of the president by a rotating roster of journalists, distributing reports and imagery to the wider press corps to hold the executive branch accountable.