The White House has barred CNN from accompanying President Donald Trump on an upcoming trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, replacing them with the conservative network Real America’s Voice. This decision follows a court ruling that temporarily halted the administration's ban on CNN and other media outlets from accessing the White House grounds. The move is part of ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and certain media organizations whose coverage has been critical or unfavorable.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
The White House has signalled that CNN will be barred from an upcoming Air Force One trip, replacing the news organisation with a conservative network.
asserted
CNN → signal → network
It comes after CNN, MS NOW and Politico journalists returned to the White House grounds after a judge struck down Donald Trump's ban on the three outlets.
asserted
judge → come → outlets
Mr Trump has increasingly targeted media outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several.
asserted
coverage → target → several
The White House has signalled that CNN would be left off Air Force One for Donald Trump's upcoming trip, in the latest media restriction from the administration.
asserted
CNN → signal → administration
The news organisation was replaced by Real America's Voice, a conservative network, for the US president's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to White House guidance.
Mr Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday Saturday, local time.
uncertain
Trump → replace → midday
The news came just after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico — which Mr Trump banned last week from the White House grounds — returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed the organisations a reprieve.
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judge → come → reprieve
US District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily struck down the ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, saying it was likely unconstitutional.
Judge Kelly issued his order in a lawsuit that the news organisations filed contesting the ban, which argued it violated the US Constitution's First Amendment protections for free speech and a free press.
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it → strike → speech
The judge's decision addressed "hard passes" to the White House grounds but did not directly address pool duties nor Air Force One.
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decision → address → duties
Theodore Boutrous Jr, the news outlets' attorney, did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment.
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Jr → respond → comment
Earlier Friday, on "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Mr Boutrous had said the plaintiffs believed the recent court ruling also covered the issue of pool access.
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ruling → say → access
The White House did not immediately respond to an AP email requesting additional details on the decision.
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House → respond → decision
For a while during the day, the US network video pool for the White House was back in operation for the first time since Mr Trump banned the three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access.
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Trump → ban → access
At noon on CNN, viewers could see Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife.
uncertain
Trump → see → Trump
It was a routine report from a state visit — except that CNN had not aired live video of Mr Trump in several days.
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CNN → air → days
The pool consists of five major US broadcast outlets that take turns shooting and sharing video.
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that → consist → video
When the White House banned CNN — which belongs to the pool — from White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity.
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providers → ban → solidarity
The spot meant for CNN on the Air Force One flight has long been saved for a member of the US network video pool, which Real America's Voice is not a part of.
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Voice → mean → which
CNN did not comment directly earlier Friday, referring instead to its editorial coverage.
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CNN → comment → coverage
But Brian Stelter, the network's media analyst, posted on X that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved the network's credentials.
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House → post → credentials
Throughout his second term, Mr Trump has increasingly targeted media outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several.
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coverage → target → several
Early last year, he banished AP reporters from White House events because the organisation was not abiding by his executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America".
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organisation → banish → America
The AP's guidance says to acknowledge the new name when relevant.
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guidance → say → name
The case is on appeal after a federal district judge ruled in AP's favour.
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judge → rule → favour
The press pool was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents' Association, a group of journalists who cover the president, to make sure a rotating roster always travels with the president.
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roster → create → president
The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps and is designed to hold the nation's chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public.
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executive → distribute → public
The Aporia
