CNN Left Off Air Force One for Trump's Tennessee Football Trip

CNN was excluded from the press pool aboard Air Force One for President Donald Trump's Saturday trip to a college football game in Tennessee, the network reported, in the latest restriction on media access that carries First Amendment implications.

CNN, which belongs to the rotating U.S. network video pool that shoots and shares coverage of the president, said it had been scheduled to fly on the plane for the midday game between the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the University of Texas. Instead, White House guidance issued Friday night listed Real America's Voice, a conservative outlet that is not part of the pool, for the spot.

The guidance came after journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House complex with cameras, following a reprieve from a judge. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily struck down the ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, but his decision addressed "hard passes" to the White House grounds and did not directly cover pool duties or Air Force One.

The seat on the flight has traditionally been reserved for a member of the network video pool. A pool report Saturday morning confirmed there was "no TV pool" for the trip. The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and CNN declined to comment.

On Saturday morning, Trump addressed the broader dispute in a social media post, writing: "FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY."

Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday night. Earlier Friday, on "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Boutrous said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling also covers pool access.

For part of Friday, the network video pool was back in operation for the first time since Trump banned the three outlets. At noon on CNN, viewers saw Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife — a routine state visit report, but the first live video of Trump on the network in several days.

"As of now, all systems are go," said a person familiar with the pool, speaking anonymously because of the fluid situation.

The TV pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast outlets. When the White House banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the grounds, the other four pool providers declined to participate in solidarity. CNN referred to its editorial coverage rather than commenting directly, while network media analyst Brian Stelter posted on X that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved its credentials.

Throughout his second term, Trump has increasingly targeted outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several. Early last year, he barred reporters from White House events over their refusal to abide by his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico. That case is on appeal after a federal district judge ruled in the organization's favor.

The press pool was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents' Association to ensure a rotating roster always travels with the president, distributing reports and imagery to the broader press corps to hold the chief executive accountable. The association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.