White House Makes CNN Cry Again
The White House is reportedly preventing CNN from serving as the designated television pool outlet covering President Donald Trump on Thursday, continuing an escalating dispute between the administration and several major news organizations.
A source familiar with the situation told The Hill that CNN will not be allowed to carry out its previously scheduled pool duties during Trump’s planned travel to Texas and Oklahoma.
As a result, no television pool camera is expected to accompany the president during the trip.
The decision comes less than a week after a federal judge ordered the White House to restore access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico following an earlier administration ban.
CNN Missing From White House Pool Schedule
CNN was not included as the television pool organization in media guidance distributed by the White House on Wednesday evening.
The White House had not publicly explained the decision as of Wednesday, according to the report.
The latest development adds another chapter to an increasingly contentious battle between the Trump administration and CNN, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Two weeks earlier, Trump barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from working inside the White House.
Trump accused the organizations of publishing what he described as “fake news” and argued that some of their reporting posed national security concerns.
The news organizations have disputed the administration’s justification for restricting their access.
Major Networks Protested Earlier Ban
The original restrictions generated criticism from media organizations and the White House Correspondents’ Association.
The television networks participating in the White House pool system — CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC and CBS — also objected to CNN being excluded.
Several participating networks temporarily withheld normal coverage of the president in response to the dispute.
The television pool system allows a rotating news organization to provide video coverage that is then shared with other outlets, making access particularly important during presidential travel and events where space is limited.
News Organizations Took White House To Court
CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit challenging the restrictions.
The organizations argued that the administration improperly limited their access because of their reporting and violated constitutional protections, including due process and First Amendment rights.
The lawsuit characterized the restrictions as viewpoint discrimination.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, ruled in favor of the news organizations two days after the lawsuit was filed.
Kelly ordered the White House to restore access to the three outlets, and their general White House access was reinstated late last week.
Dispute Continued During Trump’s Tennessee Trip
The conflict did not end with the court ruling.
Over the weekend, Trump traveled to Tennessee for a college football game on a day when CNN was scheduled to handle television pool duties.
CNN was reportedly prevented from joining the group of journalists traveling aboard Air Force One.
That episode prompted CNN’s attorneys to return to court.
In a filing submitted Tuesday, CNN asked Judge Kelly to address the television pool dispute specifically.
The network argued that the White House could again impose broader restrictions against CNN, MS NOW and Politico if the court did not intervene.
CNN also alleged that the administration has been handling presidential access inconsistently, creating uncertainty over whether its journalists will be permitted to cover particular events.
First Amendment Battle Could Continue
At the center of the lawsuit is a broader question over how much discretion a presidential administration has when determining which journalists receive access to White House events.
CNN and the other plaintiffs argue that the government cannot deny press access simply because officials object to an outlet’s coverage or editorial viewpoint.
The administration, meanwhile, has defended its authority to manage access and has repeatedly criticized news organizations it believes have reported unfairly on Trump and his policies.
The latest disagreement over the television pool suggests the legal fight may not be over.
The Trump administration is required to respond to CNN’s newest court filing by Friday.
For now, CNN remains outside its scheduled television pool assignment for Thursday’s presidential trip, putting the dispute between the White House and major media organizations back in the spotlight.
