White House Bars CNN From Air Force One TV Pool Seat for Tennessee Trip in Friday-Night Schedule Note; Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC Decline to Fill It

The White House barred CNN from the television-pool seat on Air Force One for President Trump’s trip to a college football game in Knoxville, Tennessee. CNN reported the move was “announced Friday night in a White House note that lays out the president’s schedule” (CNN); the flight was the next day. The flight was the next day.

What the reports say. CNN reported that no outlet was listed as replacing CNN, “meaning there will be no television pool coverage of his trip” (CNN, Friday night). Al Jazeera/AP reported that Real America’s Voice News replaced CNN “according to White House guidance”; NPR’s Saturday broadcast said Real America’s Voice was “manning this flight” and that the other pool members “are refusing to step in.” The reports differ on the replacement; all agree the seat was taken from CNN. CNN credits the Washington Post as the outlet that was first to report the decision; the Post page could not be fetched for this correction, so it is not confirmed from the Post itself.

Boycott. Al Jazeera/AP reported that the other four pool members, Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC, “declined to participate in the pool until access was restored.”

Earlier exclusion. CNN reported that the original ban also kept CNN off Air Force One when Trump traveled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Legal ambiguity plaintiffs are testing. Al Jazeera reported that the judge’s decision “addressed press passes to the White House and did not directly mention pool duties or Air Force One.” Plaintiffs’ counsel Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. said on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper that plaintiffs believe the ruling “also covers the issue of pool access” (Al Jazeera). See 2026-09-24–judge-kelly-grants-tro-cnn-politico-msnow-press-passes.

Research Gaps

• Whether plaintiffs formally moved to enforce the TRO to cover pool access, or the dispute was folded into preliminary-injunction briefing.
• Washington Post original not fetched.

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