Trump's Press Pool Purge Expands as Politico Faces New Air Force One Ban

The legal and political conflict between President Donald Trump's administration and the White House press corps intensified on Monday following Politico's ban from traveling on Air Force One. This action effectively barred the news organization from fulfilling its role as the designated print representative in the presidential travel pool, further fueling an escalating dispute over press access.

The administration's decision marks one of the latest fronts in an ongoing battle over press access, with several major news organizations contesting restrictions on their access to presidential events and facilities, with press freedom and First Amendment protections at the heart of the controversy.

Politico confirmed it was excluded from today's out-of-town travel pool, refusing to provide additional comment. A spokesperson referred inquiries to legal filings, previous statements, and those from their attorney, Ted Boutrous. The White House declined to issue a comment when reached by Newsweek.

In September, Trump announced that Politico, CNN, and MSN had been barred from the White House for publishing what he deemed "FAKE NEWS" and "FICTION and LIES." The three outlets promptly filed a joint lawsuit, arguing that the administration had violated their First Amendment rights. They contended that their credentials were revoked due to the White House's objection to their reporting. This legal challenge has evolved into a broader struggle over who controls access to the presidential press pool.

The limited space at some presidential events and during travel means only a select few reporters attend in person and represent the broader White House press corps. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly previously ordered the administration to restore the outlets' White House credentials while the lawsuit continued. However, the White House argued that restoring physical press credentials does not automatically grant access to every restricted setting, such as the Oval Office or Air Force One.

The administration's Friday filing to the court requested that the ban on these outlets be allowed to stand, asserting they had determined the outlets had published stories that negatively affected national security. The government argued that restricting their access would be the only means to prevent the dissemination of potentially harmful information.

However, this claim was rejected by the media organizations, with their lead attorney Ted Boutrous asserting that the ban is a "blatant violation of the First Amendment and due process." Boutrous also emphasized that the White House's actions aimed to punish unfavorable reporting and force journalists to cover the president in a preferred manner.

Despite the judge's order from September, CNN was excluded from several pool assignments in late September and early October, including presidential travel. On Monday, the administration barred Politico from boarding Air Force One for Trump's trip to Nebraska, despite the outlet's scheduled position as the print representative in the travel pool.

The administration maintained that the judge's order restored general White House access but did not grant every outlet entry into all limited-capacity events or presidential travel pools.

The White House's official Sunday evening guidance email did not list the names of news organizations traveling with Trump, further indicating their reluctance to fill the seat left vacant by Politico's exclusion. This incident is expected to be presented as additional evidence at a hearing on Thursday, when Judge Timothy J. Kelly is slated to consider the media organizations' request for a preliminary injunction. The hearing may serve as a crucial test of the administration's restrictions on press access.