Politics

White House bars CNN from presidential Air Force One flight

The travel restriction follows a federal court order restoring network reporters' access to executive grounds

Updated Sep 26, 2026 · 06:14 UTC4 reports

The short version

The White House excluded CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One on Saturday for Donald Trump's scheduled trip to Tennessee.[BBC News · The Guardian]
Conservative outlet Real America's Voice News was designated to replace the network on the presidential flight.[NPR]
The move comes shortly after a federal judge temporarily overturned a broader White House ban against CNN, Politico, and MS NOW.[NPR]
Whether the judge's order restoring hard passes to White House grounds also extends to press pool travel remains disputed.[NPR]

The White House prevented CNN from boarding Air Force One for a scheduled Saturday flight to Tennessee with Donald Trump.[BBC News · The Guardian]
White House scheduling guidance substituted conservative network Real America's Voice News in place of CNN for the Knoxville trip.[NPR]
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily blocked the White House ban targeting CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.[NPR]
Judge Kelly found that the government failed to offer factual backing for claims that barring the organizations protected national security.[Al Jazeera]
Attorneys representing the barred media outlets challenged the restrictions as violations of First Amendment protections.[The Guardian]
Department of Justice lawyers argued the media bans served national security interests regarding sensitive and classified material.[The Guardian]

It remains legally unsettled whether the federal court order concerning White House hard passes obligates the administration to allow pool rotation access on Air Force One.[Al Jazeera · NPR]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.