The White House Correspondents Association says it is disturbed that no reporters from either The Associated Press, Bloomberg or Reuters were allowed on Air Force One to cover President Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East on Monday.

Treating the aircraft as safe for the commander in chief with just a few modifications is "absurd," one former senior defense official said.

President Trump has criticized the current Air Force One as “much smaller” and “much less impressive” compared to other world leaders’ jets, and has faced backlash

Trump left with a host of press aboard Air Force One, but for the first time in decades, no one from the Associated Press, Reuters, or Bloomberg was with him.

Reporters from major news services were barred from traveling aboard Air Force One for President Trump’s high-stakes trip through the Middle East — an unprecedented move that was slammed by the White House Correspondents’ Association.