The White House has blocked CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump, just days after a federal judge ordered the network’s White House credentials restored.
CNN was scheduled to travel with Trump on Saturday as part of the television press pool covering his trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he was expected to attend a college football game. The White House later removed CNN from the trip’s schedule, and a CNN spokesperson confirmed the network had been pulled from its scheduled rotation.
The decision came after a week of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and several news organizations. Trump had previously barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds, prompting the three outlets to sue the administration over their access.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to restore their White House credentials. The ruling addressed access to the White House, however, and did not specifically determine whether CNN could participate in the presidential travel pool aboard Air Force One.
CNN had been part of a rotating five-network television pool that also includes ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News. The other networks previously declined to replace CNN after the White House removed it from the rotation, temporarily disrupting the pool’s coverage of the president.
The pool resumed Friday, with CNN participating in the rotation, but the network was excluded again for Trump’s Saturday trip.
Trump has repeatedly criticized CNN and other outlets over their coverage. The White House has argued that press access is subject to its rules, while the news organizations have argued that restricting access because of coverage raises First Amendment concerns. The dispute remains part of an ongoing legal and political fight over media access to the president.