White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt gave a rapid-fire press briefing on Tuesday and went toe-to-toe with the press as she laid out President Trump’s successful agenda and defended the administration’s decision to restore even-keeled press access to the Oval Office.
“Despite what many Democrats and many media members want you to believe, the Trump agenda is not only necessary, but it is overwhelmingly popular,” Leavitt said.
She heralded the recent decision of a federal judge to uphold the administration’s decision to deny the Associated Press privileged access to asking the president questions in limited spaces like the Oval Office or Air Force One.
Leavitt said such access “is a privilege that has unfortunately only been granted to a few – it is not a legal right for all.”
She also noted that President Trump has been the most “transparent” and “accessible” president in history. “He takes many questions from the journalists who have the honor and privilege of standing before the beautiful Resolute Desk,” she added.
Leavitt further announced a major shakeup at the White House aimed at decentralizing the power of the White House Correspondents’ Association and instead curate their own press pool.
“Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team,” she said. “Legacy outlets who have participated in the White House press pool for decades will still be allowed to join – fear not. But we will also be offering the privilege to well-deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility.”
Leavitt reiterated their commitment to ensuring new streaming platforms and radio poolers were added to the mix, and commented, “A select group of D.C.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly” over press access at the White House.
She said the White House press office’s decision to decide which additional outlets would be allowed to access President Trump’s administration was “restoring power back to the American people.”