WASHINGTON — The administration of President Donald Trump has prevented a major news network from utilizing the presidential aircraft for an upcoming weekend journey, marking the latest flashpoint in an ongoing conflict over press access.
Broadcaster CNN was originally scheduled to accompany the president aboard Air Force One for a Saturday flight to Tennessee. However, a revised media itinerary published late Friday evening omitted the network from the travel roster entirely. No alternative news organization was designated to take the vacant spot on the tentative schedule.
This travel restriction follows a tense legal and political struggle between the executive branch and several prominent media organizations. Last week, the administration blocked journalists representing CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from entering the White House. The president publicly accused these outlets of fabricating falsehoods regarding his administration's policies and actions.
In response to those initial bans, the affected organizations initiated legal proceedings, arguing that the exclusion violated their constitutional protections guaranteeing freedom of speech and of the press. Additionally, four major television networks that share daily coverage rotations with CNN—ABC, CBS, Fox News, and NBC—temporarily suspended their broadcasts of the president in a coordinated display of solidarity. During this period, the administration also established an independent streaming platform titled Trump TV ahead of international diplomatic meetings in New York.
The situation shifted when a federal judge issued a ruling determining that the media restrictions implemented by the White House likely violated constitutional standards. The court mandated that the administration restore press access, leading to the resumption of regular television reporting on Friday after officials permitted reporters back inside the building.
Despite the judicial order, tensions have persisted between federal officials and news personnel. Earlier in the week, certain correspondents from CNN and MS NOW were still denied entry to cover arrival events for a state dinner honoring Chinese leader Xi Jinping. White House communication channels defended the limitations on social media, asserting that media organizations do not possess an absolute right to unhindered access to every facility, event, or briefing.
The upcoming presidential travel involves a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, where the president is scheduled to attend a college football match between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at Neyland Stadium. White House officials have not yet provided detailed comments regarding the decision to remove the broadcaster from the Air Force One manifest.
Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC News. Read the original report at BBC News.
