The White House has barred CNN from travelling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for a Saturday trip to Tennessee, deepening a widening fight between the administration and the press over access, retaliation and the limits of presidential power.
CNN had been scheduled to fly with Trump as he travelled to Knoxville for a college American football game, but a White House note released Friday night did not include the broadcaster on the media schedule. CNN reported that no other outlet had been listed as taking its place, underscoring the abruptness of the decision and the uncertainty surrounding press access to the president's movements.
The exclusion is the latest flashpoint in a confrontation that has already spilled from the briefing room into the courts. Last week, Trump barred CNN, Politico and MS NOW journalists from the White House after accusing them of publishing "fiction or lies" about his administration. The three outlets said they were pursuing legal action and argued that the move violated constitutional protections for free speech and freedom of the press.
The dispute prompted an unusual show of solidarity among the White House press corps. Four television networks that normally rotate daily coverage of the president alongside CNN — ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — paused their broadcasts of Trump in protest after the bans were imposed. The White House then moved to fill the gap on its own terms, launching a streaming channel dubbed Trump TV ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York.
A federal judge has since ruled that Trump's barring of news outlets from the White House was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to allow them back in, at least for now. That ruling appeared to force a partial retreat, with regular US television coverage resuming on Friday after White House officials allowed reporters back into the building.
But the latest Air Force One decision suggests the conflict is far from resolved. Even after the court ruling, the White House denied entry to some CNN and MS NOW reporters assigned to cover arrivals at a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, indicating that access battles are now being fought event by event, and not just over broad press credentials.
Trump has continued to attack the outlets publicly. In a series of online posts on Saturday, he criticised CNN and other media organisations, calling them "fake news." "FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE," he wrote, echoing a line that has become central to his long-running hostility toward mainstream media.
The White House communications account also defended the administration's approach in a post on X, saying that "contrary to what the Fake News wants you to believe, they don't just get to have free rein into every part of the White House, every event and every press call." The message reflected the administration's broader argument that access is not absolute and can be controlled by the executive branch.
The White House has not publicly explained why CNN was removed from the Tennessee travel pool, and the BBC said it had requested comment from the White House. The president is scheduled to attend the University of Tennessee versus University of Texas football game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville from midday local time on Saturday.
The episode adds another layer to a confrontation that has become both legal and political, with the White House testing the boundaries of press access while news organisations challenge what they see as punitive retaliation. For now, the fight is no longer limited to who gets into the briefing room. It is extending to who gets on the plane, who gets into events, and who gets to cover the presidency up close.