CNN has threatened to pursue additional legal action against the U.S. government if the network’s journalists are not allowed to resume travel aboard Air Force One, following a recent preliminary injunction that restored their access to White House grounds.
The dispute dates back to September 18, when President Donald Trump barred CNN reporters, along with those from MSNBC and Politico, from White House premises, citing their coverage as "fake news." The next day, the networks’ access passes were deactivated. Last week, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted the news outlets a preliminary injunction against the ban, finding they were likely to succeed in their claim that the administration violated First Amendment rights and due process.
However, CNN’s access to the Air Force One travel pool—a rotational group of five major U.S. networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and CNN tasked with providing video coverage of the president’s travels—remains restricted. In a letter dated October 19, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., CNN’s attorney, informed the Justice Department that the network has been denied its pool coverage assignment on Air Force One at least four times since the injunction, including trips to the United Nations General Assembly in September, a football game in Knoxville, Tennessee, and visits to Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida.
Boutrous argued that the spaces CNN seeks to cover, such as the Oval Office and Air Force One, are public assets managed not by any single administration but on behalf of all Americans, and that the network serves as a surrogate for the public in fulfilling its journalistic duties. He characterized the White House’s restrictions as unlawful and retaliatory actions based on the content of CNN’s coverage.
“If these actions persist, CNN will have no choice but to return to the court to defend its rights, and it is prepared to fight as long as is necessary to secure them,” Boutrous wrote.
The White House, responding to requests for comment, maintained that no journalist has a constitutional right to access specific presidential spaces, including the Oval Office or Air Force One. A spokesperson stated that when news organizations “lie, fabricate, and ignore the truth,” close proximity to the president is less meaningful, implying that CNN’s removal from these areas is justified.
The alleged exclusion of CNN from the presidential travel pool has complicated coverage responsibilities among the remaining networks. While the pool rotation typically rotates among ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and CNN, the four other networks have been making ad hoc decisions about whether to assume CNN’s assignments when the network is barred.
Politico, also barred from White House grounds alongside CNN and MSNBC, has reportedly been prevented from fulfilling its role as the print pooler on trips requiring travel aboard Air Force One in recent weeks. CNN’s letter did not address Politico’s specific situation.
The Justice Department has so far declined to comment on the correspondence or on plans for any further legal action.
This ongoing dispute highlights tensions between the Trump administration and media outlets that have faced frequent criticism and restrictions, raising broader questions about the scope of press freedom and access to government officials in the current political climate.