Washington, DC (US), September 26, 2026, BNN Web Staff: The White House has barred CNN from travelling aboard Air Force One with US President Donald Trump on his trip to Tennessee on Saturday, in the latest development in an ongoing dispute over media access.
CNN had been scheduled to cover Trump’s visit to Knoxville, where he is attending a college football game, as part of the White House television press pool.
The rotating pool allows a limited number of journalists to accompany the president when space is restricted and share footage and information with other television networks.
The White House’s schedule issued Friday did not list CNN as the primary television pool outlet. Instead, Real America’s Voice (RAV) was identified in the travel guidance, according to reports. The change has raised questions over the functioning of the rotating television pool.
The move follows a broader dispute between the Trump administration and CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The three outlets were barred from the White House last week after Trump announced restrictions on their access.
A federal judge subsequently ordered the administration to restore access to affected reporters while the legal challenge proceeds.
The five major television networks that participate in the rotating pool had previously suspended pool coverage in response to CNN’s exclusion. Coverage resumed on Friday, with the networks again sharing responsibility for covering the president’s activities.
The latest decision could again disrupt the pool arrangement because the system depends on participating outlets providing video and information that can be shared with other broadcasters.
The White House Correspondents’ Association has described the pool as an important mechanism for covering presidential activities when the wider press corps cannot travel with the president.
The dispute is also part of ongoing litigation involving CNN, MS NOW and Politico. A federal judge has given the news organisations until Monday to seek a preliminary injunction that could maintain their access while the case proceeds.
The White House also produces its own video coverage of presidential events, including livestreams, but the press pool provides independently gathered footage that is shared among news organisations.
The status of CNN’s participation in future pool assignments remains subject to the ongoing legal proceedings and decisions over White House media access.
