Washington — Former President Donald Trump erupted in anger aboard Air Force One after noticing a television tuned to CNN during a flight, according to accounts from multiple aides familiar with the incident. The outburst, one of several during his presidency tied to media coverage, highlighted Trump’s fixation on cable news and his persistent frustration with networks he viewed as hostile.
Witnesses said Trump demanded to know why the aircraft’s televisions were not set exclusively to Fox News, his preferred outlet. Staff members scrambled to adjust the channels, but the confrontation reportedly escalated into a broader tirade about what he considered biased and unfair reporting from mainstream media organizations.
The episode underscored a long-running tension within Trump’s White House over how to manage his media consumption. Aides frequently sought to limit his exposure to critical coverage, knowing that negative reports could trigger angry phone calls, social media attacks, or sudden policy reversals.
Trump’s disdain for CNN was well documented throughout his term. He repeatedly labeled the network “fake news” and sought to exclude its correspondents from press events. The feud became emblematic of his broader battle against the media, which he often portrayed as an adversary rather than a check on power.
Inside Air Force One, television programming became a point of strict control. Staffers were instructed to ensure that only certain channels played in the cabin before Trump boarded, a rule that occasionally led to frantic last-minute changes. Despite these precautions, incidents like the CNN sighting occasionally reignited his frustration.
For those who worked closely with him, the moment was more than an anecdote about television preferences. It illustrated how deeply Trump’s worldview was shaped by media narratives and how determined he was to surround himself with coverage that reinforced his perspective.
Even miles above the ground, the president’s battle against what he saw as unfair reporting continued — a reminder that in Trump’s White House, the struggle for control over the message never paused, not even at 30,000 feet.
