White House excludes CNN from Air Force One trip, replaces it with Real America's Voice

The White House confirmed on Friday that CNN will be omitted from the Air Force One roster for President Donald Trump's scheduled trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday. The network's slot will be filled by Real America's Voice, a conservative news outlet not part of the traditional White House video pool.

Trump is expected to attend the University of Tennessee-University of Texas football game at midday. The decision follows a recent court order that temporarily lifted a ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds after a district judge ruled the restrictions unlawful. The ruling addressed access to the White House compound but did not specifically mention Air Force One travel.

"As of now, all systems are go," said a source familiar with the pool arrangements, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The White House video pool, composed of five major broadcast organizations that share footage, has been operating again after a brief shutdown when Trump barred the three outlets. When CNN was excluded, the remaining pool members declined to participate in solidarity, leaving the CNN slot vacant for the flight. Real America's Voice, which is not a member of the pool, was assigned the spot.

CNN did not provide comment beyond noting its ongoing coverage, while its media analyst Brian Stelter indicated that the network had received credentials for a separate National Archives event. The press pool, established by the White House Correspondents' Association, is intended to ensure consistent visual coverage of presidential activities.

The broader dispute over media access continues, with the case currently on appeal after a federal judge ruled in favor of the Associated Press, which had previously challenged the administration's media restrictions.