The White House on Saturday prevented CNN journalists from traveling to Tennessee with the president aboard Air Force One. The removal marks the latest flashpoint in the president’s ongoing feud with the network.
The president attended a midday college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas. CNN, a member of the rotating U.S. network video pool that films presidential events in space-limited settings and shares the video with other outlets, had been scheduled to fulfill those pool duties on the flight.
White House guidance issued Friday night instead listed Real America’s Voice, a conservative outlet that is not a member of the official television pool consisting of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC. A written pool report issued Saturday morning confirmed there was “no TV pool” for the travel.
“CNN is not here; we have taken over that responsibility. We are so excited to be here,” said Real America’s Voice correspondent Taylor Mitchell. The outlet stated that it would make its feeds available to other news organizations.
CNN Chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins described the move as a banning in a statement of her own. “The White House is barring CNN from flying on Air Force One on Saturday as part of the news outlet’s duties covering the president on behalf of major television networks,” she added.
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LMAO!! CNN and Brian Stelter are now MELTING DOWN because they weren't allowed on Air Force One, fuming that President Trump is out-maneuvering their lawsuit
"Reporters are on the White House complex, but today, he tried something different! POTUS REJECTED CNN being the TV… pic.twitter.com/V0OEJKueZA
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 26, 2026
The decision followed a week of restricted access. On September 18, President Trump announced on social media that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would be barred from the White House, stating that media outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES.” The administration later cited national security grounds in court filings.
The television pool suspended most coverage in response, and CNN was previously blocked from an Air Force One flight to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order directing the White House to “immediately return, reinstate, and restore” the hard-pass credentials of journalists from the three outlets. The 14-day order found the outlets were likely to succeed on their claim that the revocation violated constitutional due process rights because it occurred without advance notice or an opportunity to respond
“The record lacks factual support for defendants’ contention that the revocation of plaintiffs’ hard passes will in fact protect national security or that national security will be endangered if the court orders their passes reinstated while this litigation proceeds,” Kelly wrote. The ruling addressed grounds access and did not specifically mention pool assignments or Air Force One.
Journalists from the three outlets were allowed back onto White House grounds on Friday. The television pool briefly resumed operations that day, including coverage of an event at the National Archives involving Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
As of Saturday, the temporary restraining order remains in effect, restoring hard-pass access to White House grounds for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico journalists through approximately October 8. The outlets face a September 28 deadline to seek a preliminary injunction that could extend the block on the original ban for the duration of the case.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
