Todd Blanche defended Trump's authority to restrict media access to Air Force One

The Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, defended the authority of President Donald Trump to determine which journalists can accompany him on Air Force One, amid a dispute between the White House and several media outlets over restrictions imposed on their reporters.

Blanche's statements came a day after CNN did not participate in the coverage of Trump's trip to Tennessee, despite the fact that the network had reportedly been designated to be part of the group of journalists assigned to cover the presidential movement. The official rejected that the administration had ''prohibited'' CNN and argued that accompanying the president on his official activities is a privilege that may be subject to decisions made by the White House.

During an interview, Blanche was asked about the absence of CNN from the so-called ''press pool'', a system used for decades to ensure that a small group of journalists can accompany the president when space limitations prevent all accredited press from traveling.

''It is a privilege'' to cover the White House, Blanche stated, explaining the administration's position. The Attorney General noted that Trump believes that certain media have provided biased coverage for years and that, consequently, the president has reasons to review the conditions under which those media participate in his activities.

Blanche also supported Trump's argument that the repeated dissemination of information that the administration considers false or inaccurate can constitute a national security problem. According to the Attorney General, this was also the position presented by the Department of Justice in court.

Trump has publicly criticized CNN, Politico, and MS NOW for their negative coverage based on incorrect information. In mid-September, the president announced restrictions against these media and argued that they had published content he labeled as ''fake news'', in addition to questioning the sources used in some of their reports.

The controversy reached the courts. Last Thursday, federal judge Timothy Kelly, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued a temporary order favorable to CNN, Politico, and MS NOW and ordered the restoration of certain press credentials while the litigation continues.

However, the judicial decision focused primarily on the so-called ''hard passes'', the credentials that allow journalists to access the White House grounds. The order did not directly establish who should be included in the groups of journalists accompanying the president on his trips nor did it specifically determine the conditions for access to Air Force One.

This point is central to the defense of the Trump administration. Blanche argued that the judge's decision does not eliminate the president's authority to determine who can travel with him on the presidential plane. From the perspective of the Department of Justice, an order related to physical access to the White House complex does not necessarily equate to an obligation to include a particular media outlet in coverage limited by space and logistical issues.

The ''press pool'' was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents' Association to ensure that, even when not all journalists can accompany the president, there is a rotating group responsible for gathering information, photographs, and videos to distribute to the rest of the press.

The Trump administration maintains that this system does not imply an automatic right for any media to occupy those spaces and that the president retains the authority to determine the conditions of his official trips. The affected media, for their part, question these restrictions and argue that they could unjustifiably limit the press's access to the presidency.

As the litigation continues, Blanche insists that Trump has the authority to protect his official activities and decide who accompanies him on certain trips, while the government defends that its measures respond to considerations of informational accuracy, logistics, and national security.