The Trump administration has announced a significant shift in media relations by assuming control of the White House press pool, effectively stripping the independent White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) of its traditional role. This decision, revealed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during Tuesday’s briefing, has sparked widespread concern among journalists and media organizations. The WHCA, an institution responsible for determining which journalists have access to the president in intimate settings for over 70 years, was not consulted prior to this sudden move.
The controversy intensified when the three main wire services covering the US presidency—Associated Press (AP), Reuters, and Bloomberg—jointly condemned the administration's decision. This action follows AP's refusal to change its style guide to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," as requested by President Trump. Subsequently, the White House barred AP reporters from official events, prompting a legal challenge from AP. However, a federal judge declined to restore the wire service’s access in the short term.
“It is essential in a democracy for the public to have access to news about their government from an independent, free press,” stated top editors from Reuters, Bloomberg News, and AP.
The new policy gives the White House press team authority to choose which journalists travel with the president on Air Force One and cover events within the Oval Office or Roosevelt Room. The administration wasted no time implementing these changes, as evidenced by the ejection of a HuffPost reporter from Wednesday’s press pool rotation and the removal of Reuters from its traditional spot.
“Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team,” announced Karoline Leavitt, framing the move as a democratization of access to the president.
This decision has triggered an impassioned response from members of the media. WHCA President Eugene Daniels expressed concerns that this approach "tears at the independence of a free press in the United States" and "suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president."
"This is a short-sighted decision," commented Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, adding that "it will feel a lot different when a future Democratic administration kicks out conservative-leaning outlets and other critical voices."
Reuters and Bloomberg News have joined AP in decrying Trump's move to restrict access to presidential events. The White House upheld its new policy by denying reporters from these organizations access to Trump's first cabinet meeting.
“This move does not give power back to the people – it gives power to the White House,” Heinrich remarked.
The standoff between Trump and AP began on February 14 when the White House announced its indefinite barring of AP reporters from both the Oval Office and Air Force One. This ongoing conflict highlights concerns about press freedom under Trump's administration.
“At some point I am going to sue some of these dishonest authors and book publishers, or even media in general, to find out whether or not these ‘anonymous sources’ even exist,” tweeted Donald Trump, further fueling tensions with the media.
The WHCA's role has been historically crucial in maintaining impartiality and fairness in media coverage of presidential activities. Its members are democratically elected by the full-time White House press corps, which comprises journalists from various outlets dedicated to covering presidential affairs.
“The WHCA is democratically elected by the full-time White House press corps,” Heinrich emphasized.