White House ends wire services' guaranteed seat in the press pool
The White House ended the decades-old practice of guaranteeing wire services Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg a daily seat in the small press pool that covers the president, making them compete instead for a single rotating print slot alongside other outlets.1
- Country
- United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)
- Where
- United States
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Access bans
- Stage
- Restrict (see the ladder)
- Head of government at the time
- Donald Trump
- Issue of the day
- The change followed the White House's dispute with the Associated Press over its refusal to adopt the administration's "Gulf of America" naming, part of a broader restructuring of how the White House selected the press pool that began in February 2025.
- Outcome
- Sustained. The dedicated wire-service pool seat was not restored; the outlets continued to compete for a rotating slot.
- Era
- The 2020s
What happened
On April 15, 2025, the White House announced that Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg would no longer have a guaranteed daily seat in the small pool of reporters who cover the president in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One and at similar limited-space events. The wire services would instead compete with other outlets for a single rotating print-reporter slot. The Associated Press called the decision "a grave disservice to the American people," and Reuters said any government limit on access to the president threatened that principle for the public and the world's media. The White House said outlets remained eligible for selection "regardless of the substantive viewpoint expressed," but did not restore the wire services' guaranteed seat.123
What reason was given
The White House said its rotating system made outlets eligible for the pool regardless of their viewpoint, rather than defending the removal of the wire services' dedicated seat directly.123
What changed for reporting
Three of the world's largest wire services, whose reporting on the president reaches thousands of other news organizations, lost their guaranteed daily access to small, high-value presidential events and had to compete with other outlets for a single slot.2
Timeline
2025
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | ordered | President of the United States |
| White House Press Office | enforced | Office of the White House Press Secretary |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Reuters | outlet | affected |
| The Associated Press | outlet | affected |
Sources
Claims cited
- The Associated Press said the decision to restrict wire services' access was a disservice to the public.
We are deeply disappointed that the administration has chosen to restrict the access of all wire services...This is a grave disservice to the American people.
Associated Press, Reuters rip Trump White House for cutting wire service slot in press pool, Fox News, 2025-04-16. Claim 377, checked 2026-09-22. - Reuters said any government limit on access to the president threatened the public's and the world's access to information.
Any steps by the U.S. government to limit access to the President threatens that principle, both for the public and the world's media.
Associated Press, Reuters rip Trump White House for cutting wire service slot in press pool, Fox News, 2025-04-16. Claim 378, checked 2026-09-22. - The White House said its rotating pool system made outlets eligible regardless of their coverage's viewpoint.
regardless of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet
Associated Press, Reuters rip Trump White House for cutting wire service slot in press pool, Fox News, 2025-04-16. Claim 379, checked 2026-09-22.