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Trump administration ends WHCA’s press pool control, sparking liberal media outrage

By isabelle // 2025-02-27

• The Trump administration will no longer allow the WHCA to determine White House press pool access, shifting control to the White House press team.
• Critics argue the move undermines press freedom, while the administration claims it democratizes access for newer and independent outlets.
• WHCA President Eugene Daniels accused the administration of threatening press independence by allowing the government to choose journalists.
• The decision follows a legal victory for the White House after barring The Associated Press for refusing to use the term “Gulf of America.”
• The administration plans to include streaming services, radio hosts, and new media outlets in the press pool, breaking the legacy media’s monopoly.

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it will no longer allow the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) to determine which outlets gain access to the coveted White House press pool. Instead, the White House press team will now decide which journalists and outlets are granted the privilege of covering the president in intimate settings like the Oval Office and Air Force One. This decision, which upends decades of tradition, has drawn sharp criticism from liberal journalists and WHCA leadership, who claim it undermines press freedom. The announcement, made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing, marks a significant shift in how the administration interacts with the media. Leavitt emphasized that the move aims to democratize access, ensuring that a broader range of voices — including newer and independent outlets — can participate in covering the president. “A select group of D.C.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the White House,” Leavitt said. “All journalists, outlets, and voices deserve a seat at this highly coveted table.”

WHCA’s outcry and hypocrisy

The WHCA, which has managed press pool rotations since the 1950s, responded with outrage. WHCA President Eugene Daniels accused the administration of undermining press independence, stating, “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.” However, critics of the WHCA argue that the organization has long functioned as an exclusive club, favoring legacy media outlets while sidelining independent and conservative voices. Notably, the WHCA remained silent when the Biden administration revoked press credentials for hundreds of reporters in 2023, raising questions about its commitment to press freedom. The Trump administration’s decision comes on the heels of a legal battle with The Associated Press (AP), which was barred from certain White House events after refusing to adopt the administration’s preferred term for the Gulf of Mexico: the “Gulf of America.” A federal judge ruled in favor of the White House on Monday, denying the AP’s request to restore full access.

A new era for press access

Leavitt assured reporters that legacy media outlets would still have a presence in the press pool, but the administration plans to include streaming services, radio hosts, and other new media outlets. “We’re going to be now calling the shots,” President Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office, emphasizing his administration’s commitment to breaking the media monopoly. The move has been praised by supporters of the administration, who argue that the WHCA has long been dominated by a narrow group of D.C. insiders who do not reflect the diversity of the American media landscape. “This is about giving power back to the people who read your papers, watch your television shows, and listen to your radio stations,” Leavitt said. The Trump administration’s decision to take control of the press pool marks a significant departure from decades of tradition, challenging the entrenched power of the WHCA and its allies in the legacy media. While critics warn of threats to press freedom, supporters see it as a long-overdue correction to a system that has favored a select few at the expense of many. The days of the WHCA’s gatekeeping are over, and the media landscape at the White House will never be the same. Sources for this article include: DailyCaller.com FoxNews.com Reuters.com CNN.com

Donald Trump mainstream media free press White House big government journalism libtards Trump administration Liberal Mob rational progress legacy media media fact watch whca Gulf of America White House press pool