White House Excludes CNN from Air Force One Flight with President Trump

The White House has prevented CNN from joining President Donald Trump on Air Force One for his Saturday trip to Tennessee.

This action marks the newest development in the ongoing tensions between the administration and the press, following the White House’s recent reversal of a ban on several news organizations.

CNN had been slated to accompany the president to Tennessee for the college football game, but a Friday night White House notice omitted the network from the media roster.

The BBC has sought a response from the White House regarding the decision.

CNN notes that no alternative outlet was named to take its place in the president’s provisional itinerary.

Last week, President Trump barred CNN, Politico, and MSNOW journalists from the White House, claiming they had published ‘fiction or lies’ about his administration.

All three outlets announced they are pursuing legal action, alleging that the ban infringes upon their First Amendment rights to free speech and press freedom.

Four major networks that regularly rotate White House coverage with CNN—ABC, CBS, Fox News, and NBC—temporarily halted their presidential broadcasts in solidarity with the excluded outlets.

Subsequently, the White House introduced its own streaming service, Trump TV, in advance of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A federal judge later determined that blocking news organizations from the White House likely violates the Constitution, compelling the administration to reinstate their access—at least temporarily.

Nevertheless, the White House continued to deny access to certain CNN and MSNOW reporters tasked with covering the arrival segment of a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

A White House communications account earlier posted on X, stating, ‘Contrary to what the fake news wants you to believe, they do not have unrestricted access to every part of the White House, every event, or every press briefing.’

Standard U.S. television coverage resumed on Friday after White House officials granted reporters access.

The president is scheduled to attend the college football matchup between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, with kickoff set for midday on Saturday.

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