In a controversial move likely to upset the left-leaning, liberal media outlets, the Trump White House delivered another masterful crackdown by ending permanent press pool privileges for biased wire services.
See the tweet below.
The Associated Press, Reuters, and Bloomberg will no longer enjoy guaranteed daily access to President Trump.
Following a recent court ruling ordering the Associated Press’s reinstatement to the press pool, the White House strategically reorganized media access to better represent how Americans actually consume news in 2025.
Wire services, which previously had a dedicated spot in the daily press pool, will now compete for inclusion in an expanded “print” rotation alongside other publications.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has taken control of press pool selection from the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), ending decades of establishment media gatekeeping.
This decisive action allows the administration to ensure balanced coverage while expanding access to a wider range of viewpoints, rather than just liberal mainstream outlets.
The reorganization includes adding a 50th seat in the briefing room specifically for “new media” and creating a separate “new media” spot in the daily pool.
This provides unprecedented access for independent journalists and conservative outlets that the establishment press corps have historically marginalized despite having massive audiences.
The administration has also introduced a secondary TV rotation that includes both mainstream and conservative channels, ensuring viewers receive diverse perspectives.
The new press pool structure will also feature one print journalist as the “print pooler,” an additional print journalist, primary and secondary TV network crews, a radio journalist, one “new media” representative, and four photojournalists.
The AP’s privileged status was initially revoked after the organization refused to update its Stylebook to reflect President Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
With removal of permanent wire spot:
1 print journalist to serve as ‘print pooler’
1 additional print journalist
A television network crew (ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NBC)
A secondary television network or streaming service
1 radio journalist
1 new media/independent journalist
4 photo https://t.co/WzLYHVlwRk— Dominick Mastrangelo (@DomMastrangelo1) April 15, 2025
While a federal judge ultimately forced the White House to restore AP’s access to key White House spaces, the ruling inadvertently provided an opportunity to reshape the entire press corps structure.
Predictably, the liberal media establishment is crying foul. WHCA president Eugene Daniels of left-leaning MSNBC, complained that the changes are retaliatory measures against unfavorable coverage.
However, the administration maintains that these adjustments create a more balanced and representative press corps.
The reassignment of wire services actually expands the print rotation from 31 to 34 spots, potentially increasing event access for major outlets.
Wire-based outlets can still be selected as part of the daily rotation, but without their previously guaranteed privileged status, which many Americans felt resulted in biased reporting.
Ultimately, this restructuring addresses long-standing concerns about partisan media coverage that plagued previous administrations.
Unlike the Obama and Biden administrations, which often restricted access for conservative outlets, the Trump White House has implemented a more transparent and inclusive system that better serves the American public by ensuring diverse viewpoints reach the people.
