Sawt Falasteen - White House takes control of picking media who cover Trump

Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt made the surprise announcement at a daily briefing, saying that the independent White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) would no longer have a "monopoly" on choosing members of the "press pool."

The press pool is a small group of reporters that covers the US president in often cramped spaces like the Oval Office and Air Force One, and shares their material with other news organizations.

The WHCA -- of which AFP is a member -- said the decision "tears at the independence of the free press."

The 78-year-old Trump was in the Oval Office -- with a pile of red baseball caps on his desk saying "Trump was right about everything" -- when he was asked to comment on the move.

"We're going to be calling those shots," Trump said about media access.

The move came amid an escalating battle between the White House and the Associated Press news agency, which Trump has barred from presidential events in a row over his renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."

- 'Intimate spaces' -

Former reality TV star Trump -- who has long had an antagonistic relationship with the media even as he courts their attention -- called AP "terrible" and "radical left."

The Republican then turned towards a map saying "Gulf of America" behind him and added: "I'm just admiring it as I look at it. I'm getting teary eyed."

The history of the White House "press pool" goes back nearly a century. It has long been a way of pooling resources among competing outlets, especially in cramped spaces in the West Wing.

But Leavitt, the youngest White House press secretary in history at age 27, said the WHCA had "long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the president of the United States in these most intimate spaces."

"Not anymore. I am proud to announce that we are going to give the power back to the people," she added.

"Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team."

Leavitt said "legacy outlets" would still be allowed to join the press pool, but that access would also be opened to "deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility."

She appeared flanked by two large video screens saying "Victory" and "Gulf of America."

Shortly afterward, senior White House advisor Jason Miller said on X: "R.I.P. @WHCA 1914-2025" along with a picture of mourners bearing a coffin.

- 'Free country' -

The press pool on the presidential jet consists of 13 newspaper and wire service journalists, photographers and TV and radio reporters, while for events in the White House itself it is slightly larger.

Some organizations have permanent places while others rotate through positions. Details of the White House's changes weren't immediately available.

WHCA President Eugene Daniels criticized the move, saying the White House had not given any advance notification.

"This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president," Daniels said in a statement.

"In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."

Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, a WHCA board member, said on X: "This move does not give the power back to the people -- it gives power to the White House."

The move is the latest in a series of controversial attempts by Trump to stamp his mark on everything from the US bureaucracy to the media since his second term began on January 20.

The White House began blocking Associated Press journalists from presidential events two weeks ago over the Gulf of Mexico row.

A US judge on Monday declined to immediately order the White House to restore full access to the agency, but set a date next month for a more extensive hearing.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST