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The White House announced the exclusion in its daily press schedule released Friday evening leaving no television pool reporter assigned for the trip and ensuring no shared video coverage from the event will reach other networks. President Trump is set to attend the University of Tennessee versus University of Texas game in Knoxville as part of a weekend visit that had placed CNN in the rotating television pool slot. CNN had been scheduled to gather material and distribute it to ABC CBS NBC and Fox but the decision follows a pattern of restrictions that persisted despite court intervention.
Trump had announced a ban on CNN along with MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds the previous week citing what he called constant fake news. A federal judge issued an order on Thursday requiring the restoration of the outlets’ hard pass credentials after determining that the revocation likely violated due process rights according to The New York Times. The ruling addressed physical access to the grounds but left ambiguity around separate pool assignments for travel aboard Air Force One.
Other major networks had refused to step into the pool role while CNN remained barred from the rotation leading to a suspension of pooled television coverage for several days last week Deadline reported. Regular pool operations resumed Friday when CNN participated in coverage of an event at the National Archives with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. No comment has been issued by the White House explaining the continued limitation on CNN for the Tennessee travel.
The decision aligns with actions taken during Trump’s first term when the administration revoked credentials for CNN correspondent Jim Acosta only to restore them after the network filed suit The Guardian noted. In the current administration the White House has also curtailed Associated Press access to limited spaces such as Air Force One and the Oval Office over the outlet’s continued reference to the Gulf of Mexico rather than an alternative name prompting ongoing litigation. These steps have altered the traditional management of the press pool which the administration assumed control of earlier this year.
Legal experts have assessed that presidents hold broad authority over access to nonpublic spaces like Air Force One which courts have ruled are not First Amendment forums open for unrestricted press activity according to an analysis in Reason magazine that referenced a related 2025 decision. The analysis concluded that while the move may not violate the recent court order it continues a contentious approach to media relations. Press advocacy groups have described the restrictions as harmful to the public’s ability to receive independent coverage of presidential activities.
The television press pool consists of a small group of journalists who accompany the president in confined settings and share notes video and photographs with colleagues at other organizations to ensure broad dissemination of information. CNN serves as one of the five primary networks handling these television duties on a rotating basis The Washington Examiner explained. This latest exclusion has prompted questions about whether the pool system can function effectively when one of its core participants faces repeated barriers to participation.
