Hours after the Trump administration allowed CNN to resume its TV pool coverage duties on Friday, the network said the White House blocked its journalists from flying with President Donald Trump on Air Force One on Saturday as he travels to Tennessee.
The network fulfilled its duties as the designated pooler earlier Friday for Trump’s visit to the National Archives in Washington with Chinese President Xi Jinping — after a whirlwind week of restrictions being imposed and lifted after Trump banned the network, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
But the White House later blocked CNN from traveling with Trump on Air Force One for the Saturday trip to Tennessee, the network reported. The network was set to serve as the designated TV pooler. The Washington Post first reported CNN’s exclusion from the trip.
The White House and CNN did not immediately respond to the Post’s requests for comment.
CNN and the other four networks that decide the daily rotation of White House pool coverage — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — had suspended their TV coverage of Trump after his administration removed CNN from its assigned duties Monday. But the pool appeared to be reactivated as of Friday morning, with CBS serving as the primary TV pooler for the day.
After Trump banned MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House grounds, citing what he described as unfair coverage, the outlets sued to have their access restored, arguing that the ban violated their due process rights and the First Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House early Thursday to temporarily restore the outlets’ access as litigation continues. Still, several journalists were intermittently blocked throughout the day despite the ruling.
Hours after the order, the White House allowed some MS NOW, CNN and Politico journalists to enter the building but blocked others and confiscated their press passes. After the outlets filed a notice of noncompliance to the court, the White House restored the journalists’ access.
MS NOW, CNN and Politico journalists were allowed to enter the White House on Friday morning, after some MS NOW and CNN reporters were denied access to Trump’s state dinner with Xi the night before. MS NOW had requested credentials for the event but never received a response.
When MS NOW White House reporter Laura Barrón-López asked why she was being turned away from the event, a White House staffer told her to “talk to Steven,” seemingly referring to White House communications director Steven Cheung.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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