Trump Escalates War on Press: Bans CNN from Air Force One, Elevates Fringe Outlet LindellTV for Knoxville Trip
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In a blatant attack on press freedom, President Donald Trump barred CNN from traveling on Air Force One to a college football game in Knoxville, instead granting access to the far-right propaganda outlet LindellTV.
President Donald Trump intensified his assault on journalistic independence by ordering CNN’s exclusion from the Air Force One flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a college football game, and replacing the respected news network with the ultra-conservative platform LindellTV. This move comes on the heels of a federal judge’s order compelling the White House to restore press credentials to CNN, Politico, and MS NOW after Trump’s administration imposed a temporary ban in a clear violation of constitutional rights.
Trump took to his echo chamber, Truth Social, to vilify the press, labeling outlets he disagrees with as “FAKE NEWS” and questioning their right to access the White House. He doubled down on this rhetoric, declaring that 'fake news should not be allowed in the White House,' a chilling statement for democracy. The administration’s initial ban on September 18 triggered a lawsuit, with plaintiffs arguing that the move trampled on First and Fifth Amendment protections. Although a district judge ordered the reinstatement of press badges on September 24, the White House retaliated the next day by barring CNN from the Air Force One trip, demonstrating contempt for judicial authority and press freedom.
'I love an open free press,' Trump claimed before departing on Marine One, but quickly contradicted himself by insisting, 'What I don’t like is fake news, and they’re fake news 100 percent.'
LindellTV, a fringe outlet founded by conspiracy theorist and Trump loyalist Mike Lindell, along with Real America’s Voice, were added to the Air Force One schedule, further cementing the administration’s preference for sycophantic media over independent journalism.