Journalists from CNN and MS Now were denied access to the White House state dinner held in honour of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday evening. This denial occurred hours after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must allow them in, following a ban imposed last week.
CNN reported that the White House stated it would allow CNN to cover the event about an hour before President Xi's scheduled arrival, but only with a photojournalist and audio technician, excluding the network's editorial team. MS Now also reported that its White House reporter, Laura Barrón-López, was prevented from covering President Xi's arrival for the dinner despite applying for credentials.
Earlier on Thursday, journalists from CNN, MS Now, and Politico, which was also part of last week's ban, were granted access to the White House. This followed an early morning order from US district judge Timothy Kelly, which mandated the administration to restore access for a 14-day period.
Separately, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to take Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the National Archives later today. President Xi is expected to depart Washington after touring the archives, which house documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.