N環球 
White House leaves CNN off Air Force One for Trump's Saturday trip to Knoxville
The White House signaled Friday night that CNN will be excluded from the Air Force One press pool for Trump's Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, replaced by conservative outlet Real America's Voice. A federal judge's reprieve for three banned outlets did not cover pool assignments.
The White House signaled Friday night that CNN would be left off Air Force One for President Donald Trump's Saturday trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, replaced by the conservative network Real America's Voice, according to White House guidance cited by the Associated Press. Trump is scheduled to attend the University of Tennessee vs. University of Texas college football game at midday Saturday.
Why it matters
It is the latest round in the White House's access dispute with three news outlets, with First Amendment implications. Just hours earlier, journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico had returned to the White House complex after a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban; the White House then imposed a new restriction on press-pool assignments — ground the judge's order did not address.
Full report
The decision was conveyed Friday night, shortly after journalists from the three outlets returned to the executive complex with TV cameras, laptops and microphones in hand. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly had temporarily struck down Trump's ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, and the U.S. network video pool was back in operation Friday for the first time since the showdown began.
But Kelly's temporary order addressed only "hard passes" to the White House grounds — not pool duties, and said nothing directly about Air Force One. The outlets' attorney, Theodore Boutrous Jr., said Friday that the plaintiffs believe the ruling also covers pool access; the White House did not immediately respond to an AP email seeking comment.
Background: Trump announced on September 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters were banned from the White House "effective immediately" over coverage he called "fake news." N-Globe previously reported both the ban and the court's temporary block.
Photo is an N-Globe editorial file photo of Air Force One, not from this event. Verification: verified; news value: A; origin region: United States; desk: politics; latest source timestamp: AP, September 26, 2026, 04:42 UTC; N-Globe published: September 26, 2026, approx. 09:00 UTC.
This article is rewritten by N-Globe from verified sources, not a verbatim translation.
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