Trump's New Attack Dog Turns Demure Press Briefing into MAGA Gone Wild
Pro-MAGA news organizations are being welcomed into the White House in a sweeping move to transform the coverage Donald Trump receives in the media.
More than 440 press passes revoked by the Biden administration—many of them from right-leaning organizations—will be restored under Trump.
Once banished conservative outlets like The Daily Signal and the One America News Network, both longtime supporters of the president, could now get front-row seats.
At her inaugural press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she would 'work diligently' to give back the passes that were 'wrongly revoked' by Biden's communications team, which favored the traditional mainstream media big hitters like The New York Times, The Washington Post and the more established cable and TV networks.
Independent journalists, social media influencers, and podcasters will be given equal billing in the White House briefing room, and, in some cases, will be given greater access.
Leavitt, at 27, the youngest ever White House press secretary, said that 'new media voices who produce news-related content and whose outlet is not already represented by one of the seats in the room,' will be joining the briefings.
'We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers and content creators to apply,' she added.
A 'new media' seat will be designated in the briefing room—although that was occupied by Axios co-founder and Beltway veteran Mike Allen for Tuesday's debut session.
One of the first questions was asked by Matthew Boyle, Washington bureau chief for Breitbart News, the right-wing site previously led by MAGA hero and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.
'Karoline, first off, thank you to you and President Trump for actually giving voices to media outlets that represent millions and millions of Americans,' said Boyle.
Brian Glenn, of the conservative Real America's Voice and partner of MAGA Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, was also called upon to ask a question, which he preceded with fawning over Leavitt.
'You look great—you're doing a great job,' he said, adding: 'You talked about transparency, and some of us in this room know just how transparent President Trump has been the last five or six years. I think you'll do the same. But my question is, do you think this latest incident with the President of Colombia is indicative of the global and powerful respect they have for President Trump moving forward not only to engage in economic diplomacy with these countries but also world peace?'
Leavitt's first order of business was an update on the New Jersey drones—a message from the president that there was no story. They weren't UFOs but authorized to fly by the Federal Aviation Authority. 'This was not the enemy,' she said, a quote that was running minutes later on TikTok.
Leavitt quickly made the administration's feelings about the traditional media clear, saying: 'We know for a fact that there have been lies that have been pushed by many legacy media outlets in the country about this president, about his family and we will not accept that. We will call you out when we feel your reporting is wrong or there is misinformation about this White House.
'In keeping with this revolutionary media approach that President Trump deployed during the campaign, the Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room.
'Millions of Americans, especially young people, have turned from traditional television outlets and newspapers to consume their news from podcasts, blogs, social media and other independent outlets,' she added. 'It's essential to our team that we share President Trump's message everywhere and adapt this White House to the new media landscape in 2025.
'It is a fact that Americans are consuming their news media from various different platforms, especially young people. As the youngest press secretary in history, thanks to President Trump, I take great pride in opening up this room to new media voices to share the president's message with as many Americans as possible.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘Golden Share' in U.S. Steel Gives Trump Extraordinary Control
To save its takeover of U.S. Steel, Japan's Nippon Steel agreed to an unusual arrangement, granting the White House a 'golden share' that gives the government an extraordinary amount of influence over a U.S. company. New details of the agreement show that the structure would give President Trump and his successors a permanent stake in U.S. Steel, significant sway over its board and veto power over a wide array of company actions, an arrangement that could change the nature of foreign investment in the United States. The terms of the arrangement were hammered out in meetings that went late into the night on Wednesday and Thursday, according to two people familiar with the details. Representatives from Nippon Steel — which had been trying to acquire the struggling U.S. Steel since December 2023, but had been blocked by the Biden administration over national security concerns — came around to Mr. Trump's desire to take a stake that would give the U.S. government significant control over the company's actions. Nippon had argued that this influence should expire — perhaps after three or four years, the duration of the Trump administration. But in the meetings, which were held at the Commerce Department, Trump officials led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted that the golden share should last in perpetuity, the two people said. Under the terms of the national security pact, which the companies said they signed Friday, the U.S. government would retain a single share of preferred stock, called class G — as in gold. And U.S. Steel's charter will list nearly a dozen activities the company cannot undertake without the approval of the American president or someone he designates in his stead. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Axios
22 minutes ago
- Axios
Trump has not called Walz following shooting of Minnesota lawmakers
President Trump has not called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz more than 24 hours after a prominent Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were killed in what officials have described as a "politically motivated assassination." The big picture: Saturday's fatal shooting of Minnesota House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman has exacerbated bipartisan security concerns among elected officials amid a volatile political landscape. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman were injured in a separate shooting at their home on Saturday. What we're hearing: Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann confirmed to Axios that the governor had not heard from the president directly as of early Sunday afternoon. Walz spoke to both Vice President Vance and former President Biden on Saturday, Tschann said. The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. What he's saying: When asked by ABC News Sunday morning whether he planned to reach out to the Democratic governor, the president criticized Walz but left the door open to a conversation. "Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too," he told ABC's Rachel Scott. On Saturday, Trump condemned the shooting as "horrific," saying such violence "will not be tolerated in the United States of America." Context: Law enforcement say 57-year-old Vance Boelter posed as a police officer when he killed Hortman and her husband in their suburban Twin Cities home early Saturday. Boelter is also wanted in connection with a separate shooting that wounded Hoffman and his wife. He remained on the run as of midday Sunday. Investigators recovered a manifesto featuring a target list that included the names of Democratic lawmakers and prominent individuals who support abortion rights in Minnesota. Zoom out: While Trump has not reached out personally, the state is receiving assistance and support from the administration. The FBI, which is on the ground in Minnesota, has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's capture and conviction. Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the "horrific violence" in a post on X Saturday, pledging to prosecute "to the fullest extent of the law."
Bloomberg
23 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Starmer Confident Aukus Pact Will Proceed Despite Trump Review
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he has no doubts that the Aukus defense pact with the US and Australia will continue despite President Donald Trump's review of the initiative. The Pentagon last week launched a review of the Joe Biden-era deal to develop nuclear-powered submarines with Australia and the UK, as part of Trump's push for allies to take more responsibility for their own defense and ensure the US has enough warships of its own. The pact was signed in 2021 to counter China's military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
