President Trump’s battle with the “fake news” outlets covering his administration continued over the weekend.
CNN lost its scheduled Air Force One assignment Saturday as the White House included LindellTV and Real America’s Voice instead.
The change came despite a federal judge’s order restoring access to CNN and two other news organizations to the White House.
Trump traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, with a television crew aboard the presidential aircraft.
CNN expected to fill its rotating pool assignment, providing footage for other major television networks.
White House guidance released Friday night named LindellTV and Real America’s Voice as secondary pool outlets for the trip.
LindellTV was founded by Trump ally Mike Lindell, while Real America’s Voice regularly carries conservative programming.
CNN White House reporter Alayna Treene described the change Friday during an appearance on Anderson Cooper’s program.
She said the White House was preventing CNN from carrying out its scheduled television duties.
The clash adds another chapter to Trump’s escalating dispute with CNN, MS NOW and Politico over press access.
Last week, Trump announced a ban on the three organizations, accusing them of spreading falsehoods about his administration.
Reporters from the outlets subsequently had their White House credentials disabled and were turned away from the complex.
The organizations sued the administration, arguing that their exclusion violated constitutional protections for the press and due process.
Early Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered officials to restore their access temporarily for 14 days.
The administration eventually allowed reporters from the three outlets back onto White House grounds.
That restored entry did not end the dispute over which events and travel assignments their journalists could cover.
CNN and MS NOW later said they were excluded from arrivals at Trump’s state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The White House responded that the dinner was a pre-credentialed event and the ruling did not guarantee entry everywhere.
Now CNN has lost its scheduled place on Saturday’s Air Force One television rotation.
An attorney for the three outlets believes the court’s restoration order also covers White House pool access, Treene reported.
The temporary court order did not expressly settle every event or travel assignment.
The administration’s decision indicates that disagreement remains unresolved as the legal case proceeds.
The television pool usually consists of CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC.
Those networks take turns recording presidential events when space limits how many crews can attend.
Their footage is then shared with the other networks and additional outlets serving audiences nationwide.
CNN’s scheduled assignment mattered because its crew would have supplied video of Trump’s Tennessee trip beyond its own broadcasts.
After CNN was removed from a previous rotation, the other television pool members suspended coverage in response.
Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton said at the time that no replacement pool would be arranged.
The decision left some presidential events without the customary shared television footage.
Other outlets were later allowed to cover certain events as the fight over access continued.
LindellTV and Real America’s Voice provided coverage during Xi’s arrival in Washington earlier this week.
Their presence on Saturday’s guidance shows the White House is turning again to alternative crews.
The guidance listed them as secondary pool outlets, leaving questions about the broader television pool’s Saturday arrangements.
Treene said Friday it was unclear how the five-network pool would proceed after the latest move.
The court order remains temporary while the judge considers the longer dispute over the administration’s original ban.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico contend officials cannot punish their reporting by removing established access.
The White House argues it retains authority over credentials and coverage arrangements for presidential events.
Trump has defended his criticism of the outlets by accusing them of reporting fiction and lies.
The president’s supporters have welcomed broader access for media organizations outside the established television pool, Mediaite reported.
The major networks argue that pooled coverage ensures presidential activities reach viewers across competing outlets.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
