The White House signalled on Friday (September 25, 2026) night that CNN would be left off Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s Saturday (September 26, 2026) trip, the latest media restriction from the administration in an ongoing dispute with First Amendment implications.
At noon on CNN , viewers could see Mr. Trump and President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Mr. Xi’s wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: “Trump and China’s Xi Visit National Archives. It was a routine report from a state visit — but for the fact that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days.
The U.S. network video pool for the White House was back in operation Friday (September 25, 2026), for the first time since President Donald Trump banned three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access.
“As of now, all systems are go,” said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation.
