The White House is limiting the number of newswires in the press pool as part of its takeover of the system.
Bloomberg was the only wire service in the Feb. 26 pool. There are usually two or more wire services in a pool, such as The Associated Press and Reuters.
Press pools are used when there are space and security restrictions in places such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. The pool is responsible for reporting on what is said in addition to delivering color for journalists who are not able to be on the scene.
This system allows outlets to take turns traveling with and asking questions of the president and vice president.
In addition to the wire services, the pool usually consists of photographers, TV correspondents and crews, print reporters, and a radio outlet. The White House has added a slot for “new media.” The Blaze, a conservative outlet, occupied this spot in the Feb. 26 pool.
The heads of AP, Bloomberg, and Reuters—Julie Pace, John Micklethwait, and Alessandra Galloni, respectively—criticized the White House for excluding all but one of the wire services from the Feb. 26 pool.
“The three permanent wires in the White House pool, The Associated Press, Bloomberg News, and Reuters, have long worked to ensure that accurate, fair and timely information about the presidency is communicated to a broad audience of all political persuasions, both in the United States and globally,” they said in a statement.
“Much of the White House coverage people see in their local news outlets, wherever they are in the world, comes from the wires.”
Recently, the White House denied AP access to the Oval Office and Air Force One.
Trump has said this is due in part to AP refusing to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” in accordance with his order changing its name. AP has defended its coverage by saying that it uses both names as part of its appeal to its international audience as only the United States has recognized the body of water as the Gulf of America.
AP sued the Trump administration and a judge this week ruled in favor of the White House.
The White House announced during its Feb. 26 press briefing that the White House press office will be in charge of the pool as opposed to the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which is the liaison between the White House press corps and the administration.
“It’s beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925. A select group of D.C.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the White House,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“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 [Donald] Trump was elected to serve.”
The WHCA, known for its ritzy dinner held every April, criticized the White House announcement.
“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.
“For generations, the working journalists elected to lead the White House Correspondents’ Association board have consistently expanded the WHCA’s membership and its pool rotations to facilitate the inclusion of new and emerging outlets.”
