White House officials listed Real America’s Voice as the secondary television correspondent for the Knoxville trip, effectively dropping CNN from the press pool. The change was announced Monday evening, ahead of the president’s midday college‑football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico had been barred from the White House earlier this month, but a federal judge granted them a temporary reprieve and ordered the restoration of their credentials. Trump’s announcement of the ban on March 20 was overturned on March 28, allowing the outlets to return to the White House with cameras.
Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS, which normally share the pool, declined to cover events until press‑pool access was restored, halting coverage until Friday when CNN returned to the National Archives visit for the president and President Xi. The blackout highlighted how fragile the system is when a single network is excluded.
The latest move leaves the litigation over the ban unresolved. CNN anchor Jake Tapper said the restoration of credentials should also cover the press pool, but a judge has given the outlets until Monday to seek a preliminary injunction that could keep the ban on hold. The court is expected to rule on the injunction by Tuesday, setting the tone for future coverage of the administration.