President Donald Trump’s feud with “fake news” media continued over the weekend when he barred a major outlet from allowing a correspondent to fly with him to a college football game.
The White House excluded CNN from Air Force One during Trump’s trip to a college football game in Tennessee on Saturday, replacing the network’s scheduled television-pool presence with conservative outlet Real America’s Voice in the latest escalation of the administration’s dispute with several major news organizations.
CNN had been scheduled to serve as the television pool representative during Trump’s trip to Knoxville, where the president attended the Texas-Tennessee college football game at Neyland Stadium.
But White House guidance released Friday night did not include CNN and instead listed Real America’s Voice as part of the traveling media contingent.
The decision was particularly notable because CNN’s scheduled position was part of the longstanding television pool rotation involving CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and Fox News.
The networks take turns supplying camera crews that document presidential events when space is limited and then distribute their footage to the other television organizations.
Real America’s Voice is not a member of that five-network rotation.
A written pool report Saturday confirmed that there was ultimately no traditional television pool accompanying Trump during the Tennessee trip.
Real America’s Voice nevertheless traveled aboard Air Force One and said it planned to make its video available to other media organizations.
“CNN is not here; we have taken over that responsibility. We are so excited to be here,” Real America’s Voice correspondent Taylor Mitchell said in a video posted by the network.
The decision came amid a much broader confrontation between Trump and several news organizations whose coverage he has repeatedly criticized.
Trump announced Sept. 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, accusing the organizations of publishing false and overwhelmingly negative reporting about his administration.
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES,” Trump wrote when announcing the restrictions.
The three organizations sued the administration, arguing they had been singled out because of the content of their journalism in violation of the First Amendment and denied appropriate due process.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed to the federal bench during his first term, issued a temporary restraining order Thursday requiring the White House to restore the journalists’ credentials for 14 days while the litigation continues.
Kelly concluded that the revocation of their credentials likely violated constitutional due-process protections.
The judge also expressed skepticism about the administration’s argument that national-security concerns justified the restrictions, noting that Trump’s own public explanation focused heavily on what he considered inaccurate and negative reporting.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters subsequently regained access to the White House grounds.
CNN even resumed pool coverage Friday, providing footage as Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the National Archives.
The dispute appeared to be easing.
That changed hours later when CNN learned it would not be permitted to fulfill its scheduled television-pool assignment aboard Air Force One for Saturday’s Tennessee trip.
Kelly’s order did not specifically address Air Force One or explicitly determine how television-pool assignments must be handled.
That distinction has become central to the continuing legal and political fight.
The affected media organizations have argued that restoring meaningful access should include participation in scheduled pool assignments.
The administration maintains that the president and White House retain substantial discretion over which journalists are permitted aboard Air Force One and into other restricted spaces.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the administration’s position Sunday during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
“The president hasn’t denied access,” Blanche said. “That’s not the right way to describe it.”
Blanche said Trump was “sick and tired” of news organizations the president believes consistently publish inaccurate coverage.
“Being in the White House is a privilege. It’s not a right,” Blanche said.
He also argued that decisions about who travels aboard the presidential aircraft are routinely made by the White House.
“The White House routinely decides who can go on Air Force One,” Blanche said. “There’s all kinds of times when certain reporters are not flying or are flying.”
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