Politics
White House bars CNN from Air Force One Tennessee trip
The White House kept CNN off Air Force One on Saturday 26 September 2026, leaving no primary television pool member listed for Trump's Tennessee football trip.
Photo: BBC NewsKey points
The White House barred CNN from flying on Air Force One for Trump's Tennessee trip, listing no primary television pool member on the Saturday schedule.
The White House barred CNN from flying aboard Air Force One on Saturday as President Donald Trump travelled to Tennessee for a college football game. The daily guidance and press schedule, issued on Friday, listed RAV as the secondary television correspondent and crew for the out-of-town travel pool but did not name CNN or another outlet as the primary television pool member.
CNN had been scheduled to fly with Trump as part of the White House television press pool, a rotating group of journalists who cover the president where space is limited and share the information and video with other television networks. CNN reported that no other outlet was listed as replacing it in the president's tentative schedule. The BBC requested comment from the White House.
What the schedule listed
The bar is the latest move in a dispute over press access. Last week, Trump banned CNN, Politico and MS NOW journalists from the White House, accusing them of writing "fiction or lies" about his administration. All three outlets said they were pursuing legal action and accused Trump of violating their constitutional rights to free speech and freedom of the press.
Four television networks with a daily rotation of White House coverage alongside CNN — ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — paused their broadcasts of the president in solidarity with the banned outlets. The White House then launched its own streaming channel, Trump TV, ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York. Regular US television coverage resumed on Friday after White House officials allowed reporters entry.
A federal judge has ruled that Trump barring news outlets from the White House was likely unconstitutional and that the administration had to let them back in, at least for now. A judge has given the news organisations until Monday to file a request for a preliminary injunction, which would put the promised ban on hold for a longer period. The status of the White House pool remained less clear.
Where the numbers came from
However, the White House still denied entry to some CNN and MS NOW reporters assigned to cover arrivals at a state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday. With CNN barred from the television pool, Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS had refused to perform their pool duties until regular access was restored. Regular coverage resumed on Friday, with CNN serving as part of the pool as Trump and Xi visited the National Archives.
An outside lawyer representing CNN told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that he believed the restoration of the outlets' access also included the White House pool. MS NOW and Politico are part of separate pool rotations from the five major television networks. It remained unclear how the White House's latest move could affect the ongoing litigation involving CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The television pool is a primary means through which people around the world receive video of Trump's speeches and public appearances, providing feeds to other news organisations. White House Correspondents' Association President Jacqui Heinrich said on "Fox News Sunday": "That's the system that allows the networks to share video of the president with the whole country. If they aren't there, the pool can't function."
What happens next in court
In a series of online posts on Saturday, Trump criticised CNN and other media outlets, dubbing them "fake news". He posted: "FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE." A White House communications account posted on X 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 president is set to attend a football game between the University of Tennessee and University of Texas College at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville from midday local time on Saturday. Air Force One made a low-altitude flyover before the game, and Trump landed at 11:28 a.m. ET ahead of the noon kickoff, according to reporters travelling with the president.
Frequently asked questions
Why was CNN barred from Air Force One?
The White House's daily guidance and press schedule for Saturday, issued on Friday, listed RAV as the secondary television correspondent but did not name CNN or another outlet as the primary television pool member, despite CNN having been scheduled to fly.
What did the judge rule about the media ban?
A federal judge ruled that Trump barring news outlets from the White House was likely unconstitutional and that the administration had to let them back in, at least for now. A judge gave the news organisations until Monday to file a preliminary injunction request.
When did regular television pool coverage resume?
Regular US television coverage resumed on Friday after White House officials allowed reporters entry, with CNN serving as part of the pool as Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the National Archives.
How this story was checked
- Fact-checked against 3 cited pages. 9 figures, dates and quotations in this story were found on the pages it cites.
- Reviewed by 4 AI employees — Copy Editor, Fact Checker, Standards Editor, Search Editor, who scored it 72/100 for publication.
Pages checked (3 of 3)
- bbc.co.ukread and checked
- freepressjournal.inread and checked
- independent.co.ukread and checked
Written by Kaer from public reporting. Checked 26 September 2026.
