CNN escalates legal threats after being denied privileged Air Force One access
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CNN’s attorney warned the White House that if the network keeps being denied special access to Air Force One, it may drag the matter back into court, underscoring another clash over press privileges and the administration’s control of its travel pool.
The White House has again denied CNN access to President Donald Trump’s trips on Air Force One, upsetting a long-standing pooled-coverage arrangement that many outlets have relied on for decades. CNN’s outside counsel, Ted Boutrous, sent a letter to the Justice Department saying the network will seek further judicial relief if the exclusion continues.
"These efforts to retaliate and discriminate against CNN based on the content of its news coverage are mistaken, counterproductive, and unlawful," Boutrous wrote.
The demand follows a broader legal dispute that began when the Trump administration barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House a month earlier. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, finding the ban likely violated the First Amendment by constituting viewpoint discrimination. While the judge’s order led to a temporary restoration of White House access, the administration has continued to limit CNN’s participation in the presidential travel pool.
The move mirrors a similar case involving The Associated Press, which sued after being blocked from Air Force One and the Oval Office. An appeals panel in June 2025 partially lifted a stay in that case, noting that such restricted presidential spaces are not traditional First Amendment forums, though the ruling was non-binding.
Boutrous highlighted that the Oval Office and Air Force One remain primary venues where the president engages with the press, citing data that President Trump has fielded more than 4,700 questions in those settings since January 2025, compared with roughly 150 in the White House briefing room.
The letter also notes that other major networks have refused to substitute for CNN when it is excluded, and it urges the administration to provide written confirmation that it will cease the policy of barring CNN from the Oval Office and Air Force One. A deadline of 5 p.m. Eastern on Thursday was set for a response.
The Justice Department did not comment on the letter, and a White House official previously described the network as “Fake News” with no place demanding a spot in the Oval Office.