White House changes rules, will now choose reporters with privileged access to Trump

In the midst of a conflict with the Associated Press (AP), White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced a change in the rules for press access on Monday, February 24. The Trump administration is breaking with a system that has been established for years and managed by the media themselves through the White House Correspondents' Association. She indicated that the pool , the small group of journalists with privileged access to the president, admitted for example to the Oval Office or on his plane, would be open to new media now chosen by the American executive.

The AP agency is banned from the Oval Office and the official presidential plane, Air Force One, for its refusal to comply with the new name of the Gulf of Mexico, renamed the "Gulf of America" , by an executive order signed by Donald Trump. It has filed a summary judgment against Susie Wiles , White House chief of staff, Taylor Budowich, one of her deputies, and Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump's spokeswoman. The appeal was rejected on Monday, February 24 by a federal judge, who did not, however, rule on the merits of the dispute.

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The White House welcomed the decision, reaffirming in a statement that access to the Oval Office and Air Force One was "a privilege granted to journalists, by right." "This is the most transparent administration in American history," it said. Donald Trump lashed out at AP on February 20, calling it a "radical left organization."

AP invokes the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press and expression. "The press and all citizens of the United States have the right to choose their own words and to be free from reprisal by the government," according to the agency, warning of "a threat to the liberty of every American."