Blanche says being in the White House is a privilege, not a right, after CNN is dropped from the Air Force One pool
Todd BlancheAttorney General of the United States, interviewed on ABC's This Week
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the White House's removal of CNN from the television pool covering Trump's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, saying Trump has every right to decide who flies with him and that being in the White House is a privilege, not a right. He said deciding which reporters travel with the president is routine, and argued inaccurate reporting could affect national security by shaping how foreign governments and adversaries perceive the administration. Asked about the separate court ruling ordering CNN, MS NOW and Politico's broader access restored, Blanche said the order was temporary and the litigation was ongoing.
“The president has every right to decide who gets to fly on his plane, and it is national security, especially on Air Force One, and especially at the White House. Being in the White House is a privilege; it's not a right.”
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Report on Attorney General Todd Blanche's Sept. 27 interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz on "This Week," defending the White House's removal of CNN from the television pool covering Trump's Sept. 26 trip to Knoxville, Tennessee. It quotes Blanche at length, including his statement that access to the White House is a privilege, not a right, and his response to the judge's ruling in the separate lawsuit over the broader exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Report on the same Sept. 27 ABC interview, quoting Blanche saying it is a privilege, not a right, to be in the White House or fly with the president, and his remark that there is a national-security component because inaccurate reporting affects how foreign governments perceive the administration.
Before the quotation
The White House removed CNN from the pool on Friday, September 25, for the president's Saturday trip; the other major networks boycotted the pool assignment in solidarity.
After the quotation
Blanche did not dispute Judge Kelly's finding that the administration had shown no evidence predating the lawsuit that the credential revocations were motivated by national security.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to Trump's decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House access because of their coverage, Blanche defends the related decision to drop CNN from the Air Force One pool, calling access a privilege and citing national security. That defends continuing to restrict access, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
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- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- CNN
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- Blanche says being in the White House is a privilege, not a right, after CNN is dropped from the Air Force One pool
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The Dispute Index. "Blanche says being in the White House is a privilege, not a right, after CNN is dropped from the Air Force One pool". First published: 2026-09-27. Last updated: 2026-09-27. https://disputeindex.com/events/3044-attorney-general-todd-blanche-defended-the-white-house