The Trump administration’s decision to take over the press pool has critics, including a Fox News correspondent, shrieking in rage and has defenders of the plan conversely asking what’s the big deal.
Traditionally, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) controls the press pool. By taking it over, the administration will be able to determine which media outlets can participate in the pool.
The benefit to this is that it’ll allow the administration to add new, non-traditional, non-corporate outlets to the pool, as explained by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday:
A group of DC-based journalists, the White House Correspondents’ Association, has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the President of the United States.
Not anymore.
Today, I was proud to announce that we are giving the power back to the people.
Moving… pic.twitter.com/PkNui6Qleu
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 25, 2025
“It’s beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925,” she said. “A select group of DC-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the White House.”
“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,” she added.
But this in turn has traditional, corporate media outlets fuming because they genuinely think they’re entitled to a seat in the press pool.
WHCA president Eugene Daniels released a statement Tuesday whining about how “in a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”
WHCA STATEMENT ON WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT pic.twitter.com/QVQnwSuydj
— Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) February 25, 2025
Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich also joined the outrage, claiming in a tweet that Leavitt was wrong.
“This move does not give the power back to the people – it gives power to the White House,” she wrote. “The WHCA is democratically elected by the full-time White House press corps.”
This move does not give the power back to the people – it gives power to the White House. The WHCA is democratically elected by the full-time White House press corps.
WHCA has determined pools for decades because only representatives FROM our outlets can determine resources all… https://t.co/GeGrckDYVt
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) February 25, 2025
Her tweet prompted immediate pushback from a frustrated public.
“It’s safe to say that you guys failed, as a conglomerate, at your job,” one critic tweeted. “Refusal to cover Biden’s mental decline was obvious to everyone with two eyeballs, and two ears. The never ending trough of coordinated slop that gets asked by the press is not a free press. It’s propaganda.”
“The truth is Americans do not believe anything that the legacy media reports at this point,” another critic added. “There’s always a bias or an omission or flat-out lies in your reporting. It’s time for some new faces in there that aren’t working for the Democratic Party. This is a good thing.”
See more responses below:
You are embarrassing yourself. Same people who threw out all journalistic integrity to ask predetermined questions handed to you all by the Biden staffers.
— Kate (@kate_p45) February 26, 2025
Hilarious. Democratically elected by members of the same DC circle jerk. The entire concept of the White House Press Corps needs to be eliminated. You’re all trash propagandists.
— Pacheco the Ghost (@PMtalking) February 25, 2025
You elect yourselves and call that “democratically elected”?
In the real world, that’s called a “circle jerk”, which sums up your profession nicely.
— Shashi (@shashigalore) February 25, 2025
Who elected the WHCA?
Who elected the President?
Giving the power to the people means giving it to the White House and the elected President.
Not the Oligarchy ran press pool & it’s WHCA.— Joshua Hartley (@JHartley2) February 25, 2025
Just a little louder, please! pic.twitter.com/vedN8JotMe
— Whale Psychiatrist ™️ (@k_ovfefe2) February 25, 2025
Over on CNN meanwhile, lone conservative commentator Scott Jennings disabused his co-hosts of the idea that the latest move by the Trump White House makes President Donald Trump a dictator.
“In the first months of the Trump administration, the president took 1009 questions — hardly dictatorial behavior,” he said. “Same stat for Joe Biden, 141. And I would remind you all that in 2023, the Biden administration revoked the hard passes of 442 journalists.”
“And at the time, the White House Correspondents Association took a non-committal stance. So if you’re worried about transparency, Trump is being just more transparent,” he added.
Listen:
NEW: Scott Jennings lays out the facts as CNN panel seethes over WH press access reforms:
“In the first months of the Trump administration, the president took 1009 questions, hardly dictatorial behavior. Same stat for Joe Biden, 141.”
“And I would remind you all that in 2023,… pic.twitter.com/cbQwPGrPqy
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 26, 2025
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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