White House blocks Politico journalists from boarding Air Force One

The White House blocked journalists from Politico from boarding Air Force One on Monday afternoon, according to reports from the Washington Examiner and The Hill. Politico had been scheduled to serve as part of the out-of-town press pool and travel with President Donald Trump to Nebraska as part of his midterm campaign tour, the Washington Examiner reported. According to The Hill, CNN first reported that the outlet would be prohibited from boarding the presidential aircraft. [1][2][8]

The Hill reported that preventing Politico from joining the flight means there will be no print representative on board to provide pool reports on the president's statements and movements. The Washington Examiner reported that the move comes while a federal judge considers a legal saga that began last month after President Trump banned Politico, CNN, and MS Now from the White House. [1][2]

Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign designated for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The aircraft serves as a mobile command center capable of conducting governance during transit, accommodating up to 70 passengers and crew members. Politico was launched in January 2007 by Robert L. Allbritton, John F. Harris, and Jim VandeHei as a Capitol Hill focused news organization. [12][15][16]