White House blocks CNN from Air Force One trip, replacing network with conservative outlet

The White House blocked CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One for President Donald Trump's September 26, 2026, trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, replacing the network with conservative outlet Real America's Voice News. The move escalates a tense standoff just days after U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to restore White House access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. While the court order addressed ground access, the White House bypassed the traditional rotating press pool for the flight, prompting warnings from media representatives about the rise of state-controlled coverage.

President Trump's trip to Knoxville

• ▪The White House replaced CNN on the September 26, 2026, flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, with the conservative network Real America's Voice News, according to White House guidance
• ▪President Donald Trump traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, on September 26, 2026, to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas.
• ▪The White House blocked CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One for President Donald Trump's scheduled trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, on September 26, 2026.

Trump's statements on access

• ▪President Donald Trump defended the media restrictions on September 26, 2026, calling CNN and MS NOW 'perpetrators of FAKE NEWS' and stating that he wants 'real news, not fake news.'
• ▪President Donald Trump stated on September 22, 2026, that he would probably allow the banned journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico access to the White House if a judge made such a decision

Press pool response to the restrictions

• ▪White House Correspondents' Association President Jacqui Heinrich stated on Fox News Sunday that the White House press pool system allows networks to share video of the president, and without it, the pool cannot function
• ▪The White House television pool issued a joint statement on September 21, 2026, asserting that no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to the news organization's reporting
• ▪When the White House initially banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, the other four major television networks in the White House press pool—Fox, NBC, ABC, and CBS—refused to perform pool duties in solidarity

Legal challenge to the media ban

• ▪Judge Timothy Kelly's temporary order restoring CNN, MS NOW and Politico's access addressed 'hard passes' to the White House grounds but did not explicitly address Air Force One travel or press pool duties
• ▪U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued an overnight ruling on September 24, 2026, temporarily striking down the White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, ordering the immediate restoration of their press passes.
• ▪CNN, MS NOW, and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on First Amendment grounds following the initial September 18, 2026, White House ban on the three outlets
• ▪The Department of Justice's attorneys argued in court that the White House media ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico was in the interest of national security, citing media reports involving sensitive and classified information

Targeting of media outlets

• ▪President Donald Trump banished Associated Press reporters from White House events in 2025 because the organization did not abide by his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
• ▪Since the beginning of Donald Trump's second administration in 2025, the White House has taken control of deciding which outlets cover the president via the White House press pool each day

Debatable claims

• ▪Excluding CNN from Air Force One violates the federal court order
• ▪Replacing mainstream pool networks with partisan outlets damages presidential coverage
• ▪The White House should have the authority to select press pool participants
• ▪Negative coverage justifies restricting White House access for specific news organizations