CNN has been removed from the White House television press pool after the Trump administration barred journalists from the network, MS NOW and Politico from the presidential complex.
The network had been due to provide pool coverage on Monday under a longstanding rotation shared by ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and Fox News. The arrangement ensures that footage of presidential events is distributed to news organisations around the world.
CNN was expected to cover Donald Trump’s journey to New York, where he is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly this week. However, the White House’s guidance on the president’s schedule did not name a primary television pool reporter for Monday.
It remained unclear whether another network would take CNN’s place, or whether any broadcaster would agree to assume the responsibility.
The move came after Mr Trump announced on Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House. Journalists from the three organisations had their access badges confiscated when they arrived at the complex on Saturday.
“There’s something wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Presidents have accommodated White House press pool coverage for nearly a century, and it is extremely rare for a president to travel or hold public events without representatives from the pool accompanying him.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said in a joint statement on Monday that they would sue the Trump administration, arguing that the ban violated their First Amendment rights to cover the president.
Experts said the ban, announced abruptly by Mr Trump on his Truth Social platform, was unlikely to withstand legal scrutiny.
