Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sept. 27 publicly defended the White House after CNN reported it was excluded from a scheduled television pool aboard Air Force One during President Donald Trump's Sept. 26 trip to Neyland Stadium. Blanche said decisions about who accompanies the president on presidential aircraft fall within the White House's discretion and argued such choices are routine.
White House prerogative, Attorney General says
Speaking with ABC's "This Week" co-host Martha Raddatz, Blanche portrayed the decision as consistent with longstanding practice in which presidential teams determine travel pools, and rejected characterizations that the administration had broadly denied access to the press.
"The White House routinely decides who can go on Air Force One," Blanche said. "This wasn't a one-time denial of CNN. There's all kinds of times when certain reporters are not flying or are flying."
Blanche also signaled a wider rationale for the administration's approach to some outlets, saying that what he described as persistent "misinformation and the inaccuracy of one-sided news of certain organizations" can become a matter of national security, though he did not specify examples or elaborate on how coverage crossed that line.
Pool arrangements and the disputed decision
CNN reported that it was removed from the television pool for the trip to the college football game in Tennessee. The television pool system rotates coverage among major networks so that feeds can be shared; ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and FOX typically take turns covering presidential travel for television. CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene told CNN's Anderson Cooper the network was not included on the list of outlets traveling with the president.
- Sept. 26: President Trump traveled to Neyland Stadium for a college football game.
- CNN: Reported it was blocked from boarding Air Force One to cover the trip on behalf of the television pool.
- Administration stance: Blanche said the White House decides which reporters travel and defended the action on that basis.
The episode is part of an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and multiple outlets over press pool access and restrictions. Blanche defended other recent actions that have limited access to White House grounds for journalists, saying the president had not "denied access" but had grown frustrated with what he described as inaccurate reporting by some organizations.
Questions about precedent and press freedom
Legal and press freedom advocates often note that while the executive branch can control physical access to certain spaces, longstanding norms and the practical operation of the pool system underpin how the press covers presidential travel. The attorney general's remarks raise fresh questions about how access decisions will be justified going forward and whether they will be subject to additional administrative or legal scrutiny.
Blanche's comments also underscore a broader confrontation between the administration and news organizations that has included prior limits on which journalists may enter the White House and which may attend public events. He framed the exclusions less as a blanket ban and more as selective management by presidential staff — an explanation that officials say preserves the president's ability to control who accompanies him on official travel.
| Entity | Role |
|---|---|
| CNN | Reported it was excluded from Air Force One pool for Sept. 26 trip |
| White House | Determines pool composition for presidential travel, per Blanche |
| Attorney General Todd Blanche | Defended the administration's discretion on media access |
Officials did not provide detailed documentation or examples in the interview to substantiate claims that particular outlets' reporting had risen to national security concerns. Blanche declined to identify the specific alleged inaccuracies or misinformation he referenced when pressed on the point.
The confrontation over pool access arrives amid continued tensions between the administration and several news organizations. How the White House manages who travels with the president and how networks respond — whether through public protest, legal action or changes to pool arrangements — will shape coverage of presidential events and the mechanics of national political reporting in the months ahead.
Marcus Halloran
