The five major television networks resumed their participation in the White House press pool on Friday, bringing an end to a standoff that had disrupted coverage of President Trump's state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
CBS provided the live feed for the pool on Friday morning, broadcasting Trump welcoming Xi back to the White House for the third day of his U.S. visit. The feed also captured a tea session with First Lady Melania Trump and Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan. CNN, which had been barred from the White House a week earlier, carried the same feed, signaling a return to normal operations.
CNN anchor Pamela Brown confirmed on air that "CNN's access to the White House has been restored, and the TV pool appears to be functioning as normal." A person familiar with the pool told The Associated Press that "as of now, all systems are go."
The resumption follows a turbulent week that began when the White House revoked CNN's credentials. In response, NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox announced they would boycott the pool, leaving Trump's activities—including the state visit—without coverage from the major networks. Secondary outlets remained in the pool, but the absence of the big four was conspicuous.
The situation escalated on Thursday when a federal judge ruled in favor of CNN, MSNBC, and Politico, which had also been denied access. However, journalists from those outlets were initially turned away from the White House, including at a precredentialed state dinner arrival. That prompted the networks to maintain their boycott, as the dispute over press access continued to overshadow the diplomatic proceedings.
By Thursday evening, CNN, MSNBC, and Politico had their credentials restored, and by Friday morning the major networks were back in the pool. The quick resolution came after a period of uncertainty, with some outlets unsure whether the pool would cover Trump throughout the day. The muted coverage of Trump's helipad debut earlier in the week highlighted the impact of the boycott.
The White House has not commented on the reversal, but the restoration of access appears to have defused a confrontation that had drawn sharp criticism from press freedom advocates. The judge's ruling was a key factor, as it found that the White House's actions likely violated the First Amendment rights of the affected outlets.
The episode underscores the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the press, particularly over access and coverage. While the pool is functioning again, the underlying friction remains, and future disputes could resurface. For now, the major networks are back to covering the president, and the state visit is proceeding without the distraction of a press boycott.
