Trump Administration Blocks CNN From Oval Office Event as Kaitlan Collins Challenges White House Decision
Kaitlan Collins said the White House blocked CNN from the Oval Office event even though it was their turn to cover the TV pool
Nov. 6 2026, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump's administration prevented CNN from covering his November 5 Oval Office event, despite the network being scheduled to provide television pool coverage for the other major broadcasters.
Chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins publicly criticized the decision, saying the exclusion meant none of the five participating networks would receive the usual shared footage of the president's remarks.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of the administration's treatment of certain news organizations, particularly as CNN, MS NOW and Politico continue their legal fight over restrictions on presidential press access.
Kaitlan Collins Calls Out White House for Blocking CNN
She posted that because CNN was kept out, none of the five major networks got audio or video of Trump’s remarks
Collins announced CNN's exclusion in a post on X as Trump's Oval Office event was taking place.
"CNN was scheduled to be today's TV pool. But the White House blocked us from being allowed in for the president's event in the Oval Office that's now underway," she wrote.
She also explained why the decision affected more than CNN's own coverage.
"That means none of the five networks will have audio or video of his remarks," Collins added.
The five-network television pool includes ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC. Under the rotating arrangement, one broadcaster is assigned to cover certain presidential events and distribute its footage to the other participating networks.
Collins questioned why the administration would prevent the arrangement from operating, writing, "Which seems self-defeating for an event that the president presumably wants to have TV coverage."
The exclusion did not mean Trump's remarks were entirely unavailable to the public. However, it prevented the scheduled pool broadcaster from providing the shared television coverage normally distributed to the other networks.
White House Responds With Its Own Livestream
Collins called the move self-defeating since Trump was holding a signing event he probably wanted covered on TV
The White House's Rapid Response 47 account responded to Collins by directing her to the administration's YouTube livestream of the event.
"If only his remarks were broadcasted online, free to anyone who wanted them," the account wrote. "Oh, wait."
The response highlighted that viewers could watch the president's remarks online. However, the livestream did not replace CNN's scheduled role in the television pool or provide the other broadcasters with the footage they had expected to receive.
During the November 5 event, Trump signed a proclamation establishing the Oval Office, Outer Oval Office and Cabinet Room as the Oval Office National Monument.
The White House said the measure was intended to preserve the historic spaces and require consideration of their historical significance before substantial changes or demolition.
Trump also made clear that he wanted the rooms protected from major renovations by future administrations.
"It will not be allowed to be touched by anybody, destroyed, ripped down by stupid people, in order to build something in a slightly different shape," he told reporters, according to the Associated Press.
CNN's Exclusion Follows Earlier Trump Press Ban
The White House livestreamed the event on its own account and hit back at Collins by pointing out the remarks were already online for free
The dispute follows Trump's September 18 announcement that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would lose their White House access. The administration criticized the outlets' reporting, describing it as false and misleading.
The three organizations challenged the restrictions in court, arguing that the administration was retaliating against them because of their journalism.
On September 24, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to restore the outlets' press credentials.
He found that the organizations were likely to succeed in arguing that the revocations had violated their constitutional right to due process. The ruling temporarily restored their access while the legal challenge continued.
The decision, however, did not resolve every dispute over where the journalists could report from or which presidential events they could cover.
Media Outlets Continue Legal Fight Over Access
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This came just two days after Republicans lost control of the House and Senate in the midterms
CNN, MS NOW and Politico subsequently argued that their journalists were still being excluded from important presidential events and press pool assignments despite the restoration of their White House credentials.
On October 28, the three outlets expanded their lawsuit, asking a federal court to stop the administration from preventing them from participating in press pools covering the Oval Office and Air Force One.
Their amended complaint alleged continued retaliation and violations of their First and Fifth Amendment rights, according to Reuters.
The White House defended its position in a statement, saying, "The Fake News has no place demanding a spot in the President's Oval Office."
The November 5 incident has added a fresh point of contention to the case, highlighting the difference between allowing reporters onto White House grounds and permitting them to participate in the smaller press pools that cover the president inside restricted locations.
The broader legal dispute over the administration's control of presidential press access remains unresolved.
