Washington: The White House announced on Tuesday that it will assume full authority over selecting media organizations participating in the press pool that covers President Donald Trump, a role traditionally managed by journalists for decades.
Karoline Leavitt, President Trump’s spokeswoman, stated that while traditional media outlets would continue to have access, the administration intends to change the criteria for press pool inclusion. The press pool system grants select television, radio, wire service, print, and photojournalists access to cover events in restricted spaces, such as the Oval Office, and distribute their reports to the wider media.
This decision follows the Trump administration’s move to exclude the Associated Press from the press pool after the news agency refused to adopt the name “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico— a term coined by Trump. The AP has also declined to amend its widely used stylebook to reflect the administration’s preferred terminology.
“For decades, a group of D.C.-based journalists, the White House Correspondents’ Association, has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the president of the United States in these most intimate spaces. Not anymore,” Leavitt said during a press briefing.
“Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team,” she added, referring to the staff responsible for media relations.
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which has historically overseen the rotation of press pool participants, defended its role, citing the need to maintain professional standards and equitable access to the president on behalf of the public.
“This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps,” WHCA President Eugene Daniels stated.
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Reuters, a long-standing member of the press pool, is also part of the WHCA.
Leavitt confirmed that the five major cable and broadcast television networks would retain their rotating seats in the pool, while the administration plans to include streaming services. Print and radio journalists currently in the rotation will remain, but additional outlets and radio hosts will be introduced.
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“We’re going to be now calling the shots,” Trump said when questioned about the policy change during a gathering with reporters in the Oval Office later that day.
A federal judge on Monday denied the Associated Press’s request for an immediate reinstatement of full access to pooled events in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One, where Trump frequently holds impromptu Q&A sessions with the press.
