The White House barred CNN from Saturday’s Air Force One trip with Trump to Knoxville, Tennessee, listing LindellTV and Real America’s Voice as secondary pool outlets instead; CNN was scheduled to supply footage to other major networks.
Trump announced the previous week that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing them of spreading “FICTION and LIES.” The three outlets sued. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order early Thursday directing the administration to restore their access; after initially continuing to bar them from the grounds, the White House relented.
After access was restored, CNN and MS NOW said they were barred from covering guest arrivals at Trump’s state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The administration called it a “pre-credentialed event” and said restored White House access did not guarantee entry to every event. An attorney for CNN, Politico and MS NOW said he believed the restored access included the pool; CNN reporter Alayna Treene said the five TV networks’ earlier move to suspend pool coverage had an uncertain future.
