The Associated Press and several other publishers have enjoyed daily, close access to the activities going on in the West Wing of the White House for decades, but that was stripped away when the Trump administration eliminated the news wire service from the White House press pool.

On Tuesday, the White House made the announcement following a failed legal attempt to exclude AP from the daily press pool. The dispute arose from a disagreement over the name of the newly formed "Gulf of America," as The Washington Examiner reported.

Bloomberg, the Associated Press, and Reuters were all long-time members of the press pool , which gave them regular and guaranteed access to the president.

The three media organizations will no longer have their designated newswire slots in the pool as a result of the new policy; instead, they will share a bigger rotation with around thirty other print and news organizations.

The Outlet's Response

The outlets spoke out against Tuesday’s decision, with Reuters saying, “It is essential to democracy that the public have access to independent, impartial and accurate news about their government.”

“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,” the statement went on.

Leavitt will now determine the pool members on a daily basis “to ensure that the president’s message reaches targeted audiences and that outlets with applicable subject-matter expertise are present as events warrant,” according to Reuters.

A White House official said outlets will be eligible to be included in the pool “irrespective of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet.”

From the White House

In a statement to to reporters, the AP expressed disappointment in the administration's decision to restrict access to wire services.

“The wire services represent thousands of news organizations across the U.S. and the world over. Our coverage is used by local newspapers and television stations in all 50 states to inform their communities,” the statement continued.

“The administration’s actions continue to disregard the fundamental American freedom to speak without government control or retaliation. This is a grave disservice to the American people.”

The Outcome

The press pool is made up of 18 people who change every week. It includes one from each of five TV stations, 30 print outlets, wire services like the AP, photographers, and a print spot that changes every week.

They cover private events every day in the White House, like speeches and signings of executive orders, and send news stories to hundreds of other news sources.

After the Trump administration decided to get rid of the news wire spot, NBC host Kelly O'Donnell, who used to be head of the White House Correspondents' Association, wrote on X about how important the position was.

“Wire reporters are among the most knowledgeable and dedicated to the White House beat,” she said in a post to X. “They are on duty every day of the year and anywhere in the world needed to cover a president. Their work is a key building block for other media’s work. Wires fill a critical role in the public’s understanding of government and important events.”