Chicago – February 25, 2025
The White House announced Tuesday that it will now decide which news outlets can cover President Donald Trump, taking power away from the independent White House Correspondents’ Association.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared the decision after a judge made a preliminary ruling in a lawsuit filed by the Associated Press (AP). The AP sued the White House for barring its reporters from events because they refused to use the president’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico, which he calls the “Gulf of America.”
Leavitt explained that, going forward, the White House press team will pick the reporters allowed in the press pool. This group follows the president closely, including on Air Force One and in places like the Oval Office.
“Legacy media outlets who have been here for years will still participate,” Leavitt said, “but new voices are going to be welcomed as well.”
The White House press pool has traditionally included major news services like AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg, as well as TV networks, radio reporters, and photographers. With this change, the administration will have more control over which journalists get close access to the president.
