White House excludes CNN from Air Force One trip with President Trump
CNN was not included on the media roster for President Donald Trump's Air Force One flight to Tennessee, continuing a dispute between the administration and several news outlets.
The White House announced on Friday that CNN would not be on the media list for President Donald Trump's Air Force One flight to Tennessee on Saturday, ending the network's planned coverage of the trip. The decision follows a recent legal ruling that the administration's ban on certain outlets was likely unconstitutional, though the White House has continued to deny access to some reporters.
Last week, President Trump barred CNN, Politico and MS NOW journalists from the White House, accusing them of publishing false information. The three outlets said they would pursue legal action, claiming violations of free-speech and press-freedom rights. In response, four major networks – ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC – temporarily halted their White House coverage in solidarity with the excluded outlets.
The administration has launched a streaming channel, Trump TV, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. A federal judge ordered that the banned outlets be allowed back into the White House, but the White House still refused entry to some CNN and MS NOW reporters covering a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
"FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE," President Trump wrote in online posts on Saturday.
"Contrary to what the Fake News wants you to believe, they don't just get to have free rein into every part of the White House, every event and every press call," a White House communications account posted on X.