White House bars Politico from Air Force One for Trump’s Nebraska trip

The White House refused to allow Politico aboard Air Force One on Monday, preventing the outlet from serving as the print pool representative for President Donald Trump’s travel and leaving no print representative to report on his statements and movements, according to CNN, The Hill and Newsweek. A Politico spokesperson told CNN and Newsweek that the publication was excluded from the out-of-town travel pool, the small group of reporters who travel with the president. NBC News reported that Trump was heading to Nebraska for a campaign rally and that CNN first reported the administration’s action; Bloomberg described the move as the latest salvo in a fight over media access. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]

A White House official told NBC News that “Many outlets including Politico are granted access to attend and cover presidential events unilaterally, but traveling with the President of the United States aboard Air Force One is a privilege not a right.” The Hill reported the White House did not return a request for comment, and Newsweek reported the White House declined to comment when reached. NBC News also reported that Politico and a lawyer representing the three outlets in their lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]

The action is part of a broader legal fight. Trump announced on September 18 that he was banning Politico, CNN and MS NOW from the White House, accusing the outlets of publishing “FAKE NEWS” and “FICTION and LIES,” according to CNN and Newsweek. Newsweek reported that Trump did not provide evidence for his claims that the outlets had published false information. The three outlets filed a joint lawsuit on September 21 alleging the ban violated their constitutional rights, CNN and Newsweek reported; they said in a joint statement that they were acting to “protect our First Amendment rights” and that “the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.” [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]

Judge Timothy J. Kelly sided with the plaintiffs and issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to reinstate the journalists’ press badges, CNN reported. The Hill reported that a federal judge ruled the administration had violated the news organizations’ due process rights. NBC News reported that the order temporarily restored access but was limited to the White House grounds. Since then, CNN said the White House has repeatedly barred CNN from traveling on Air Force One on days when it was CNN’s turn to be the TV pool representative; The Hill reported the administration had sought to keep CNN from those duties on two occasions, and NBC News reported the White House last week removed CNN from the press pool for a trip to Texas and Oklahoma. [ 1 , 2 , 6 ]

CNN reported that the administration appears to justify the restrictions by saying access to the White House complex is different from access to tight spaces such as Air Force One. The Hill reported that some Trump allies argue journalists do not have a right of access to “special” spaces around the president, including the Oval Office and Air Force One. The Associated Press has an ongoing lawsuit over the same distinction, after Trump tried to ban the wire service from certain spaces last year, CNN and The Hill reported; The Hill linked that action to the AP’s refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” in its stylebook. CNN reported that Monday’s action against Politico will likely be incorporated into the three outlets’ next legal filing, and that Judge Kelly is scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday on their request for a preliminary injunction. Ted Boutrous, the attorney for the three outlets, said in a statement that “the law is absolutely clear” and that the harm to their clients, the First Amendment and the public as a whole is profound, CNN reported. [ 1 , 2 ]