The White House removed CNN from Air Force One for President Trump's Saturday visit to Knoxville, Tennessee. the network was replaced by Real America's Voice News, a conservative outlet that does not belong to the official U.S. network video pool.
Real America's Voice News replaces CNN on the Knoxville flight
President Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday on Saturday. According to the report, the White House signaled Friday night that CNN would be excluded from the flight, giving its spot to Real America's Voice News. This is a significant departure from protocol, as the seat in question has historically been reserved for a member of the U.S. network video pool.
The move occurs during a period of heightened friction between the administration and the press. As the report says, this exclusion is part of a broader pattern of media restrictions that carry significant First Amendment implications, specifically regarding how the president's movements are documented for the public.
Judge Timothy Kelly's ruling on White House grounds access
The decision to bar CNN from the flight comes immediately after a legal victory for the network. u.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an overnight ruling early Thursday that struck down a ban President Trump had placed on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. This ruling allowed journalists from those three outlets to return to the White House grounds with their equipment, including laptops and cameras.
However, the scope of Judge Timothy Kelly's order is a point of contention. the temporary order specifically addressed "hard passes" for entry to the White House grounds but did not explicitly rule on pool duties or access to Air Force One. Theodore Boutrous Jr., the attorney representing the news outlets, stated that the plaintiffs believe the ruling should logically extend to pool access, though the White House has not adopted this interpretation.
Why FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC boycotted the pool
The U.S. network video pool typically consists of five major broadcast outlets—CNN, FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC—that rotate the responsibility of capturing video for the entire press corps. when the White House initially banned CNN,MS NOW, and Politico, the remaining four providers (FOX, CBS, ABC, and NBC) declined to participate in the pool as a show of solidarity with their colleagues.
This boycott meant that for several days, the pool was effectively non-functional. while CNN eventually aired footage of President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives on Friday, the report notes that this was a rare instance of the network airing live video of the president after days of restrictions.
The 'Gulf of America' dispute and the AP ban
The current clash with CNN echoes earlier conflicts between President Trump and other major news organizations. For example, the administration previously banished reporters from the Associated Press (AP) from White House events.. This action was taken because the AP refused to follow an executive order that changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
This pattern of targeting outlets that irritate the administration has drawn widespread condemnation from the industry. Nearly 50 media organizations, including NBCUniversal, have filed an amicus brief in the case against the administration to support the outlets challenging the press bans, arguing that such actions undermine the role of the press in holding the executive branch accountable.
Why a non-pool outlet took a pool-reserved seat?
One critical question remains: why the White House chose Real America's Voice News to fill a spot specifically reserved for the network pool. Because Real America's Voice News is not a member of the established five-network rotation, its inclusion breaks a decades-old agreement managed by the White House Correspondents' Association.
The White House has not provided an explanation for this specific substitution. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the administration intends to permanently alter the composition of the press pool or if this was a one-time punitive measure against CNN.
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