Looks Like WH Won't Let CNN on Air Force One

The White House signaled Friday night that CNN would be left off Air Force One for President Trump's Saturday trip, the latest media restriction from the administration in an ongoing dispute with First Amendment implications. The news organization was replaced by Real America's Voice, a conservative network, for the president's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to White House guidance cited by the AP. A network spokesperson confirmed the ban to the New York Times. Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas midday Saturday, per the AP.

The news came just after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, which Trump banned last week from White House grounds, returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed them a reprieve. US 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 didn't directly address pool duties. The judge's temporary order also said nothing directly about Air Force One. Theodore Boutrous Jr., the outlets' attorney, didn't immediately comment.

Earlier Friday on CNN, Boutrous had said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling also covers the issue of pool access. The White House didn't immediately respond to an AP email requesting additional details on the decision. The pool consists of five major US broadcast outlets that take turns shooting and sharing video. When the White House banned CNN—which belongs to the pool—from White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity. The spot meant for CNN on this flight has long been saved for a member of the US network video pool, which Real America's Voice isn't a part of.

Throughout his second term, Trump has increasingly targeted media outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several. The press pool was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents' Association, a group of journalists who cover the president, to make sure a rotating roster always travels with the president. The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps and is designed to hold the nation's chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public. The association didn't immediately respond to an email requesting comment.