White House Press Access Restored for CNN, MS NOW and Politico as Legal Fight Continues
A federal judge ordered the White House to restore access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, allowing pool coverage to resume during Xi Jinping's visit even as litigation continues.
US television networks resumed covering President Donald Trump's White House events on Friday, restoring live pool access for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit as a legal battle over restrictions on CNN, MS NOW and Politico continues.
Trump had banned the three outlets from the White House last week, prompting a federal judge to order their access reinstated. The White House television press pool aired video of Xi's arrival for tea on the final day of his visit, as well as the two leaders' tour of the National Archives, which houses the US Constitution.
CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC share the costs of covering the president and rotate coverage, providing pool footage to other outlets. The other networks' refusal to set up cameras in solidarity meant there was no pool coverage of the first two days of Xi's visit.
The Washington Post reported on Friday evening that the White House had blocked CNN from traveling with Trump on Air Force One for a trip to Tennessee, citing unnamed sources. Neither the White House nor a CNN spokesperson immediately responded to requests for comment.
Trump has long relied on the media to shape his public image and advance his agenda, even as he regularly casts news organizations as political adversaries. Since returning to office last year, his administration has taken an aggressive stance against major news outlets, including limiting access to the Oval Office and other restricted spaces.
As pool coverage resumed for Xi's arrival on Friday, Trump declined to answer questions from reporters on China and Iran, his media ban and a controversial new taxpayer-funded TV ad promoting his presidency. He later thanked reporters.
"We appreciate the fair coverage. It's been very fair. We appreciate it," Trump told reporters alongside Xi.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the restored press access.
Trump banned the three news outlets over coverage he asserted was false or negative. Their access was reinstated on Thursday after a federal judge deemed the ban likely unconstitutional and ordered their access immediately restored.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued Trump and other administration members, saying the ban violated the First Amendment's protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights. A coalition of press freedom groups and dozens of news organizations later filed a legal brief supporting the action.
Despite the temporary ruling restoring access, the court has not yet resolved the main challenge to the ban. The news outlets now have until September 28 to ask the judge to keep their access in place while the case moves forward. Even if the outlets won a permanent injunction, Trump could still pursue his case in federal court.
Trump has waged an unprecedented campaign against the media since returning to office, launching personal attacks on journalists, denying access to some outlets and suing news organizations, as well as calling on the Federal Communications Commission to strip broadcast stations of their licenses.
On Thursday, Trump joked to photographers in the Oval Office about China -- which imposes strict censorship across its media -- having the friendliest press corps, as he welcomed Xi to the White House.
While the White House told the court on Thursday it had reinstated CNN, MS NOW and Politico's access, CNN and MS NOW later said some of their journalists were denied access to cover Xi's arrival for the White House state dinner, according to the Washington Post.
A lawyer for the three outlets warned in court this week that the White House could again try to revoke their access as the litigation continues.
David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, which is seeking to merge with CNN-parent Warner Bros. Discovery, attended the Trump-Xi state dinner Thursday night. Critics have raised concerns about Paramount-owned CBS News tailoring coverage to favor Trump, although Ellison has promised to create an editorial independence board for both CBS and CNN as part of the deal.