The White House barred CNN from Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. CNN held the television pool slot for the day and planned to film the president for all major networks.
Trump flew to Knoxville to watch the University of Tennessee take on the University of Texas at college football. The White House announced the change late on Friday in a note that set out the president’s schedule.
The decision came barely a day after a federal judge ordered the administration to restore the outlets’ press credentials. The move marks the latest strike in a widening feud between Trump and the press.
Why the Court Order did not Save CNN’s Seat
US District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily struck down Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico early on Thursday. The judge found the ban likely breached the outlets’ constitutional right to due process.
However, his ruling addressed “hard passes” to the White House grounds, not pool duties. Hard passes let reporters enter the White House complex. His temporary order also said nothing directly about Air Force One. That gap handed the White House room to keep CNN off the plane without openly defying the court.
CNN’s lawyer, Theodore Boutrous Jr, reads the ruling differently. On Friday, he told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that the outlets believe the order also covers pool access.
An earlier legal battle also strengthens the White House’s hand. In 2025, an appeals court let the White House bar the AP from Air Force One. The court found that such spaces do not open to the public or large press groups. It therefore ruled that the White House can choose which journalists it admits, according to a report on the ruling.
Who Took CNN’s Seat?
Reports differ on who replaced CNN. CNN reported that the White House listed no replacement, leaving the trip without television pool coverage.
However, the AP, citing White House guidance, said conservative outlet Real America’s Voice News took CNN’s place. CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene named Real America’s Voice and LindellTV as secondary pool outlets. Trump ally Mike Lindell founded LindellTV.
The pool consists of five major broadcasters that take turns filming the president and sharing video. Real America’s Voice does not belong to that network video pool.
Networks Close Ranks
The other four pool networks, CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, declined to step in for CNN. Their refusal revived a pool boycott they had launched earlier in the week. The boycott means far less video footage from the White House and presidential trips.
Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox anchor, leads the White House Correspondents’ Association. She told CNN the pool lets networks share presidential video with the whole country. “If they aren’t there, the pool can’t function,” she said.
Politico noted that such White House interventions in the TV rotation have historically been rare. Normally, the five networks decide the rotation themselves.
How the Row Began
Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on 18 September. In a Truth Social post, he accused them of constantly reporting fake news. The ban also kept CNN off Air Force One when Trump flew to the UN General Assembly in New York.
In response, Fox News Media, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and CNN issued a rare joint statement. “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” they said. Vice-President JD Vance defended the ban on Monday. He argued that the outlets can still report through public briefings and their own sources.
The networks returned to pool duty on Friday. CNN filmed Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the National Archives that day. Hours later, the White House dropped the network from the Knoxville flight.
On Saturday morning, Trump posted twice on Truth Social, calling CNN and MS NOW “perpetrators of FAKE NEWS”.
What Happens Next
Judge Kelly has given the outlets until Monday to seek a preliminary injunction. Such an order would put the ban on hold for longer. CNN said it remains unclear how the move will affect the litigation. A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.
A Familiar Playbook
The clash echoes the White House’s long fight with the AP. In February 2025, the White House cut the AP’s access after the agency kept using “Gulf of Mexico”.
That same month, the White House took control of pool selection from the correspondents’ association. That shift ended a century-old tradition of press-led selection.
For now, CNN reporters can enter the White House. The president’s plane, however, remains off limits.
