In President Donald Trump's latest move to restrict certain news outlets' access from covering him, CNN was not permitted to join the president on Air Force One on Saturday, Sept. 26 as he traveled to a football game at the University of Tennessee.
"I want real news. I love an open, free press," Trump said on Saturday morning to reporters when asked about the bar. "What I don't like is the fake press, where a group like CNN, with few people watching, or MSDNC," the name that he calls MSNOW, formerly MSNBC.
On Friday night, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper announced the news on his show. CNN was slotted to cover Trump on Saturday on behalf of the television pool – where ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and FOX take turns covering Trump and sharing camera feeds with
the other networks. CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene explained to Cooper that White House's guidance for the next day was released and CNN was not included on the list of outlets traveling with Trump.
"The White House is barring CNN from flying on Air Force One on Saturday as part of the news outlet’s duties covering the president on behalf of major television networks," CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins said in a post on X.
This comes amid a legal dispute after the president attempted to block three news outlets – CNN, MSNOW and Politico – from the White House. Here's the timeline:
- September 18: Trump announced on Truth Social that the three networks were banned from the White House.
- September 19: Journalists from those outlets attempted to enter the White House but were denied and their press credential were taken by Secret Service.
- September 21: The networks filed a lawsuit against Trump and three White House officials.
- September 23: On the first day of Trump's U.S.-China Summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the primary television pool did not cover the president, as they stood in solidarity with CNN. Chinese state media and other non-television American outlets did cover the summit.
- September 24: Shortly after midnight, a U.S. federal judge ordered that the ban be lifted for two weeks.
- September 24: Shortly after noon, journalists from those networks were able to access White House grounds and recover their previously confiscated passes.
- September 25: Television pool cameras covered the second day of Trump and Xi's summit, including a trip to the National Archives to show off documents, including the Constitution that establishes a free press in its First Ama
- September 25: The White House releases travel guidance for Saturday that does not include CNN.
Trump spent his morning doubling down on his ban, saying in a Truth Social postthat "FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY."
"Why should perpetrators of FAKE NEWS, like CNN and MSDNC, be allowed access to a very sacred place, the White House? Despite my big Election Win, almost 100% of “TRUMP” coverage is negative, and has been for years," Trump said in a second Sept. 26 post.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump blocks CNN from traveling on Air Force One
