Trump criticized media on Truth Social Saturday as CNN was excluded from his Air Force One trip to Knoxville. LindellTV and Real America’s Voice were listed instead, two days after a judge ordered the White House press badges temporarily restored.
Trump announced on Sept. 18 that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House; the outlets said reporters were blocked from the grounds the next morning. They sued Trump and aides on Sept. 21, alleging First and Fifth Amendment violations. The Justice Department argued that Trump could bar them on national-security grounds and that White House access is a privilege, not a right. On Sept. 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the outlets’ badges temporarily reinstated, and reporters regained access that afternoon.
In two Truth Social posts, Trump questioned why journalists he labeled “fake news” should have White House access and claimed almost all coverage of him had been negative for years. CNN is part of a rotating press pool covering White House events for major television networks.
