The White House has signalled that CNN will be left off Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s Saturday flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, marking the latest restriction in an ongoing dispute over press credentials that carries significant First Amendment implications. According to White House guidance, the network’s traditional seat on the presidential aircraft has been reassigned to Real America’s Voice News, a conservative network.
White House Bars CNN From Air Force One for Knoxville Trip Amid Ongoing Media Access Dispute
President Trump is scheduled to travel to Knoxville at midday on Saturday to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas.
Earlier in the week, US District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an overnight ruling striking down a White House ban that had barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the executive complex. While Judge Kelly’s temporary restraining order addressed “hard passes” to the White House grounds, it did not explicitly mention pool duties or Air Force One access. Attorneys representing the news outlets, including Theodore Boutrous Jr., maintained that the court ruling covered broader pool responsibilities, though formal legal clarification on the flight assignments remained pending.
For a brief period on Friday, the US network video pool resumed normal operations for the first time since the initial ban took effect. Viewers watched routine coverage of President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives alongside First Lady Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan. The rotation relies on five major US broadcast outlets that share shooting and distribution duties to hold the executive branch accountable on behalf of the public.
When the White House originally barred CNN from the executive complex, the remaining four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity. Following Friday’s National Archives event, network analysts noted that credentials had been approved and assignments fulfilled, though the status of travel arrangements for the weekend remained restricted.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment regarding the Air Force One passenger manifest. Representatives for the White House Correspondents’ Association, which established the rotating press pool decades ago, also did not immediately respond to inquiries.
