In an unprecedented consolidation of power over the press, the White House has announced that moving forward, it will decide what reporters are allowed to cover President Donald Trump and his actions. This breaks from over 100 years of tradition where the White House Correspondents Association — an independent nonpartisan organization — organized the White House press pool.
“It’s beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925. A select group of DC-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the White House,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“So by deciding which outlets make up the limited press pool on a day-to-day basis, the White House will be restoring power back to the American people who President Trump was elected to serve.”
The announcement comes mere days after the White House barred the Associated Press — one of the most respected non-partisan news outlets — from covering the Oval Office and Air Force One. The ban was implemented after AP refused to add the “Gulf of America” to their official style guide, opting not to use the term in their reporting.
The seizure of the White House press pool from the WHCA is a disgusting overreach from the Trump administration — one that threatens the freedom of the press that has stood since the inception of the U.S. Reporting conducted by members of the press pool will now be tainted by their inclusion and access being dictated by those they report on. Their ethics and allegiance to the truth will inevitably be questioned.
“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,” said the WHCA.
The freedom of the press is a sacred pillar of the great democratic experiment. The press deserves to be able to provide an unvarnished view into the lives of the individuals who run our country — without fear of retribution. President Trump should not hide behind his cherry-picked propagandists.
As freedom of the press has come under further attack from the Trump administration, one must remember the important role that the press serves in society. National leaders cannot live behind a veil of secrecy and deception. Journalists pierce that veil and deserve to have full access to President Trump, regardless of his opinions about their reporting.
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