Journalists from mainstream media outlets are waiting in fear at the possibility that President-elect Donald Trump could drastically change the roster of media outlets that are allowed in the White House press briefing room.
As The Hill reports, the president-elect is actively considering revoking access for a number of mainstream media outlets in favor of independent and internet-based outlets, including podcasts.
Currently, the front row of the briefing room is occupied by the five major cable networks of Fox News, CNN, CBS, ABC, and NBC, as well as the Associated Press and Reuters. Also included are some of the largest newspapers in the country, such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as NPR, CBS News Radio, and Bloomberg.
Several longtime White House reporters complained about the proposed shakeup in the briefing room membership, attempting to dismiss the idea on the grounds of “credibility.”
“It would be a total mess,” said one anonymous White House reporter. “I would expect people would probably boycott the briefings, though that would put certain outlets in a tough spot deciding if they want to go along with what the Trump people are trying to pull.”
“If they think they’re going to end White House reporting by throwing everyone out or clearing out the first three rows, good luck, because that’s not how that works,” said Julie Mason, a former White House correspondent with Politico, who now hosts her own podcast. However, Mason’s claim is incorrect, as the White House communications office does have the final authority on which reporters and which outlets receive credentials to enter the briefing room.
When Karoline Leavitt, President-elect Trump’s choice to be the next White House Press Secretary, was asked if she would consider allowing “different voices into the press briefing room,” she responded by saying that “we are looking at those options. And, ultimately, it’s about serving the American people and getting President Trump’s message across to them.”
The mainstream media was notoriously and disproportionately hostile to the first Trump presidency, with reporters frequently asking biased and loaded questions of the various press secretaries throughout the first term. Perhaps most infamous was the incident when CNN’s Jim Acosta got into a brief physical confrontation with a female White House intern during a briefing with President Trump in 2018, after which Acosta’s credentials were revoked as punishment.
In the final months of the 2024 election, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance engaged in an unprecedented new media strategy that has since been referred to as the “podcast blitz,” where they appeared on multiple large podcasts for uncensored, long-form interviews with popular internet stars. This included interviews with Kick livestreamer Adin Ross, comedian Theo Von, the Nelk Boys, YouTuber Logan Paul, and Joe Rogan. These interviews were credited with providing a more human look at President Trump as a candidate, and also played a significant role in maximizing his support with male voters, particularly young men.