White House blocks CNN from traveling with Trump on Air Force One

The White House has barred CNN from traveling with President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One on Saturday. This decision is part of the ongoing conflict between the Trump administration and CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. CNN had been scheduled to join the rotating television press pool that covers Trump in limited spaces, such as his attendance at a college football game in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The pool's reporters share their findings with other networks. However, CNN was left out of the White House's travel arrangements for the weekend, preventing them from fulfilling their assigned role aboard the president's plane. Pool reports have become increasingly rare, as the five networks typically decide the composition themselves.

On Saturday, there would be no TV pool for the trip, meaning there would be no independent video footage of the events. The White House has not yet commented on the matter. This action is the latest chapter in the administration's ongoing dispute with CNN, MS NOW, and Politico over access to the president. Last week, Trump announced that he was barring all three news organizations from the White House, alleging that they had been reporting "FAKE NEWS."

CNN also faced a similar situation when Trump visited New York for the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week. In response, the other members of the five-network television pool—ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News—decided not to replace CNN. However, a federal judge intervened early Thursday, ordering the White House to restore the press credentials of CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.

Earlier that day, Trump tweeted on Truth Social that "FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY."