White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended changes to the White House press pool during an Axios event, arguing the modifications expanded media access rather than restricted it.
Leavitt compared President Donald Trump’s media accessibility to that of former President Joe Biden’s record during his four years in office. She pointed to data showing Biden had conducted fewer press conferences and interviews than any of the last seven presidents at comparable points in their terms.
The Access Debate
During the conversation with Axios co-founder Mike Allen, Leavitt addressed concerns about restrictions on wire service photographers in the White House pool. “There are thousands of outlets who have White House press credentials. There are hundreds that actually show up every day and cover the beat. Why should a single outlet have the privilege of being in that 13 person press pool every single day,” Leavitt said.
She emphasized that the administration’s changes created opportunities for diverse news organizations. “The changes we’ve made have actually created more transparency, more accessibility, and greater access for a broad variety of outlets and a diversity of journalists,” Leavitt stated.
Responding to Critics
Allen posed a question based on a White House Correspondents Association statement arguing the government should not control independent media. Leavitt countered that a small group of journalists should not dictate White House access.
“There should be equal access for all outlets. And that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Leavitt responded. She added that no outlets had been restricted and that more spots had been allocated across various news organizations.
The Biden Comparison
Leavitt referenced data comparing presidential media engagement. Biden had conducted 164 press conferences and interviews by July in his first term, while Trump had 468 at the same point.
The next lowest figures came from George W. Bush with 248 and Ronald Reagan with 262, according to reporting by Axios at that time.
This story has been updated. CNN’s staff contributed to this report.
