The White House signaled Friday night that CNN would be left off Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s Saturday trip, the latest media restriction from the administration in an ongoing dispute with First Amendment implications.
Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday Saturday. At noon on CNN, viewers could see Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi’s wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: “Trump and China’s Xi Visit National Archives. It was a routine report from a state visit – but for the fact that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days. 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 travel with the president.
The news organisation was replaced by Real America’s Voice News, a conservative network, for the president’s trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to White House guidance. The temporary order from the judge also said nothing directly about Air Force One. Earlier Friday, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Boutrous had said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling also covers the issue of pool access. “As of now, all systems are go,” said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation.
