The resumption followed U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly's order early Thursday restoring the press credentials of CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Kelly granted a 14 day temporary restraining order while the case plays out, finding the outlets likely to succeed on their claim that their passes were revoked without constitutionally adequate due process. The White House initially turned the journalists away that morning before readmitting them around midday, and it kept CNN out of the TV pool rotation through the weekend even as the pool filmed Trump's public events. It has since listed CNN for primary TV pool duty on Thursday.
Trump told reporters Friday, "We appreciate the fair coverage. It's been very fair." The next morning he posted on Truth Social that "FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!!" Ted Boutrous, the lawyer for the three outlets, said the restoration of access "means back into the pool." CNN reported that the ban disrupted months of planning for Xi's visit and frustrated both U.S. and Chinese officials over the limited coverage of a summit meant to showcase the two leaders to a global audience.