Trump admin preps press room seating chart that might make legacy media unhappy



The Trump administration is reportedly planning a new seating chart in the White House's press briefing room that might result in legacy media outlets losing long-held spots.

On Sunday, Axios reported that the White House will take over the seating chart for the briefing room, a task currently managed by the White House Correspondents' Association. President Donald Trump's administration has been critical of the WHCA's involvement in selecting which outlets can access the president and his Cabinet.

'We want to balance disruption with responsibility.'

Shortly after taking office, the administration announced that it would open the briefing room to "new media voices," encouraging independent journalists, podcasters, and social media influencers to apply for a dedicated spot at the front of the room.

The unprecedented move to bypass the WHCA resulted in a flood of thousands of interested applicants.

The Trump administration also previously limited the pool of reporters who may join the president for smaller press events, including those held in the Oval Office and on Air Force One.

The administration's latest move to reorganize the seating chart of the briefing room further challenges the WHCA's long-term role.

A senior White House official told Axios that plans have been formalized for a "fundamental restructuring of the briefing room, based on metrics more reflective of how media is consumed today."

"The goal isn't merely favorable coverage," the official stated. "It's truly an honest look at consumption [of the outlets' coverage]. Influencers are important, but it's tough because they aren't [equipped to provide] consistent coverage. So the ability to cover the White House is part of the metrics."

The new layout will include reporters from television, print, and digital outlets. While corporate media outlets will continue to have access to the briefing room, the shake-up might see them booted from their seats in the front rows.

"We want to balance disruption with responsibility," the official told Axios.

The official also noted that a WHCA member privately mentioned the possibility of changing bylaws to allow the sitting White House press secretary to serve as the group's president.

The official called the idea "interesting" but stated that the administration is "skeptical the association's board could pull it off."

Neither the White House nor the WHCA responded to a request for comment from the New York Post.

A senior White House official confirmed the plans to implement a new seating chart to CNN.

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Stephen Miller Gives Corporate Media ‘Civics Lesson’ During White House Briefing

'The existential threat to democracy is the unelected bureaucracy'

Exclusive: White House reaches beyond legacy media, gives local outlets a seat at the table



President Donald Trump's administration has made a continuous effort to give local and alternative media access to the White House newsroom, which has historically been dominated by legacy media.

During the local media row hosted Wednesday by the White House, Blaze News learned just how many media outlets were given a seat at the table.

'At the local media row, families in living rooms across the country were able to hear directly from top administration officials.'

The local media row hosted four national radio outlets, 11 local radio stations from 11 different states, and two local TV affiliates that broadcast to 34 states across the country, according to a breakdown of the event obtained exclusively by Blaze News. In sum, a total of 73 radio interviews were held, reaching roughly 60 million viewers and listeners across America.

"President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history," White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Blaze News. "On day one, he signed an executive order to promote free speech and end the weaponization of government, and his administration restored over 400 press passes previously revoked by the Biden administration."

Americans who tuned in to the local media row were able to hear from over a dozen administration officials and Cabinet secretaries like Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, border czar Tom Homan, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

'It’s essential to our team that we share President Trump’s message everywhere and adapt our White House to the new media landscape in 2025.'

"At the local media row, families in living rooms across the country were able to hear directly from top administration officials, including several Cabinet secretaries, thanks to President Trump's commitment to restoring transparency and sharing updates with the American people far and wide,' Kelly added.

The local media row is just the latest installment of the White House's commitment to widening the tent of media access beyond traditional legacy media.

Just days after Trump was inaugurated, Leavitt unveiled the "New Media" seat reserved in the White House press briefing room in order to incorporate alternative media outlets that have been denied access in the past.

"It’s essential to our team that we share President Trump’s message everywhere and adapt our White House to the new media landscape in 2025," Leavitt said during her debut briefing.

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Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Announces Shake Up To White House Briefing Room

'The Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities'

In Thanksgiving Briefing, Karine Jean-Pierre Thanks The Press For Regurgitating White House Propaganda The Last Four Years

In a largely congenial pre-Thanksgiving press conference, Karine Jean-Pierre served the White House press corps a turkey dinner and expressed her gratitude for all the media have done for the Biden-Harris administration over the past four years. “Thank you. No, really, I mean that,” Jean-Pierre, who was wearing a tall, black pilgrim hat, gushed from […]

Karine Jean-Pierre LIES, says Biden's NOT playing 'both sides' of pro-Palestinian protests



The Biden administration is doing its best to play both sides of the argument when it comes to the pro-Hamas protests in universities — and it’s not going unnoticed.

When White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed on the issue by Fox News’ Peter Doocy, it was clear she did not know how to respond.

“I understand that President Biden historically has spoken very forcefully about anti-Semitism, but this week he’s not. He’s MIA. Is he that worried about losing the youth vote with these protesters?” Doocy asked.

“I’ll speak more broadly. I can’t speak to youth and support and voters, that’s not something I can do from here,” Jean-Pierre answered.

“The president has taken a lot of policy actions here, a lot that he knows that young people care about, and a lot of those actions are popular with those young folks,” she continued, noting that the president is offering the youth “breathing room” in regard to student debt.

She then went on to ramble about the climate crisis, which of course also had nothing to do with Doocy’s original question.

When questioned about whether or not Biden is playing both sides, she said, “No, he’s not doing a both sides scenario.”

Pat Gray doesn’t buy it for a second.

“You’re going to continue to lie and not answer questions that have been asked of you. That’s what you’re going to continue to do,” Gray says, annoyed.


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Mark Ham​ill of 'Star Wars' fame visits White House, says he asked Biden if he could call him 'Joebi-Wan Kenobi'



Actor Mark Hamill of "Star Wars" fame, who has been an outspoken supporter of President Joe Biden, met with the president on Friday before appearing at the White House press briefing.

Hamill said that he called Biden "Mr. President," but Biden said Hamill could call him Joe. Hamill said he asked if he could call the president "Joebi-Wan Kenobi."

Hamill has previously posted the eyebrow-raising claim on social media that "Joe Biden is the best president we've ever had."

But while he has high praise for Biden, he has called it the "understatement of the century," to describe Donald Trump as the nation's worst president ever.

— (@)

"May The First Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden's Re-election!" Hamill tweeted on Wednesday, May 1, adding the hashtag "#BidenHarris2024."

"May The Second Biden Administration Be As Productive and Successful As The 1st," he wrote on Thursday May 2.

— (@)

On Friday, May 3rd, Hamill tweeted, "May The Third Be Absurd That The Guy Who Tried To Steal A Fair Election Is Allowed To Run Again."

Earlier this year, on March 5, he tweeted, "I voted for four more years of an orange-free Oval Office."

— (@)

In an apparent play on Hamill's Friday White House visit and press briefing appearance, the Babylon Bee, a satire site, posted a piece titled, "Mark Hamill Joins Death Star Press Conference To Say What A Good Job He Thinks The Emperor Is Doing."

— (@)

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