White House Blocks CNN From Trump Trip

The White House has blocked CNN from travelling with President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One for his scheduled trip to Tennessee on Saturday, escalating an ongoing dispute between the administration and several news organisations.

CNN had been assigned to the rotating television press pool responsible for covering Trump’s presidential travel and sharing footage with other major television networks.

The network said it had been scheduled to accompany Trump to Knoxville, Tennessee, but was excluded from the trip. The White House did not identify a primary television pool outlet for Saturday in its schedule sent to the press corps.

The decision came two days after US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to temporarily restore White

House access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

The three organisations had challenged the administration’s decision to bar them from the White House after Trump accused the outlets of publishing what he described as false and unfavourable reports.

Judge Kelly issued a 14-day restraining order while the legal challenge continues, finding that the media organisations had demonstrated a strong likelihood of succeeding on their claim that their access had been revoked without due process.

The White House’s latest decision has raised further questions about the future of the traditional television press pool, which rotates coverage responsibilities among CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News.

The pool temporarily suspended coverage of Trump earlier in the week after CNN was prevented from carrying out its assigned duties.

The dispute has also become the subject of a federal court case in which CNN, MS NOW and Politico argue that the administration violated their constitutional rights by restricting their access.

The White House has maintained that its actions concern media access, while the affected organisations have argued that the restrictions are connected to their reporting.