Trump Cuts Permanent Press Pool Spot for All Wire Services After Court Orders AP Access Restored
The Trump White House apparently found a workaround Tuesday to its court order to restore Oval Office access to the Associated Press: wire news services will no longer be guaranteed a spot in the press pool, according to multiple media reports.
The pool’s new makeup, according to The New York Times’ Michael M. Grynbaum, will expand to allow access for two print journalists (or “print poolers”); one network crew from the likes of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC; one secondary network or streamer; one radio station; one new media outlet, and four photographers.
“The makeup of the pool is far more reflective of the media habits of the American people in 2025,” a senior White House official told The New York Post, who first broke the news Tuesday. “The White House press policy continues to be grounded in fairness for all outlets that wish to cover the White House.”
For decades the White House has granted wire access for three legacy outlets AP, Bloomberg and Reuters. These outlets were given access to all presidential events in smaller venues such as the Oval Office, while other outlets part of the rotating “print” press pool rotation could only participate once a month.
The three wires’ automatic access already had been curtailed for more than a month — with access limited to one rotating spot per day — with the exclusion of the AP.
This decision from the president comes a week after AP’s victory in a lawsuit over its exclusion from the press pool. DC US District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the AP be restored to the press pool after the outlet’s refusal to comply with the president’s Gulf of Mexico name change.
McFadden’s ruling stated that the AP “cannot be treated worse than its peer wire services,” giving the Trump administration a work around to continue to exclude the outlet from closed door conversations.
There are currently 31 “print” press spots in rotation, 34 including the wire services. Now two additional print seats have been added, dramatically decreasing access for wire service publications. Wire service publications like the AP, Reuters and Bloomberg, provide news to smaller newspapers, radio, and television stations across the nation. Their efficiency allows a wider audience to be aware of the conversations taking place in the Oval Office and for consumers to hear directly from the president.
The Trump administration has been persistent in including new media in press briefings and dismantling the traditional, hierarchal system of the press pool. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hosts press briefings once, sometimes twice a week, unlike Trump’s first term.
While legacy media outlets line the front row of the press briefing room, the Trump administration added a new seat for “new media.” Journalists, influencers and podcasters that have filled this seat range from Axios and Semafor journalists to partisan influencers and YouTube stars.
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