Trump admin launches ‘White House Wire’ after axing wire spots from press pool

The White House posted on X, “The White House has its own wire now. Read what we’re reading."

The webpage, which bears some resemblance to the anti-Trump outlet Drudge Report, links to a number of reports connected to the White House and the Trump presidency from outlets such as the Daily Caller, Axios, Breitbart, The Hill, Fox News, and others.

The Drudge Report responded to the wire website that appears similar to its own outlet with the headline, “IT TAKES AN ENTIRE WEST WING TO COMPETE WITH DRUDGE.”

The link on top of the page from the White House Wire on Thursday morning read, "President Trump establishes Ukrainian Rare Earth Minerals Deal," which then linked to a video posted to X by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the deal.

According to The Hill, earlier this week, the White House also removed a wire service position from the White House press pool, and going forward, the pool will include one dedicated "print pooler" each day as well as one additional print reporter.

There will also be one television crew from one of the major TV networks in the pool as well as a secondary television or streaming service. Included in the pool will also be a radio journalist as well as four photojournalists. Additionally, in line with the "new media seat" in the White House press room, one "new media" journalist will be in the pool each day.

An official at the White House told the outlet that reports will be chosen on a rotating basis, and that there will no longer be permanent spots as part of the media shake-up in the press pool. The official added that those admitted into the pool will be chosen “irrespective of the substantive viewpoint expressed by an outlet."

The fight over the wire services began shortly after Trump took office and the AP balked at the president's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The wire service refused to use the new name in their copy and the outlet was axed from their special position in the Oval Office and on Air Force One.

The AP took the Trump administration to court over the axing, which was fought by the administration. The administration claimed that while a free press is a hallmark of American liberty, that does not mean that any specific outlet it entitled to special access to the president.

A judge later ruled that the AP's place must be reinstated in the place reserved for wire services in the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other special events. In response to that, the White House axed the spot for wires altogether. AP reporters still have their press badges and access to the White House press briefing room.

The Trump White House has made substantial changes to the way that press relations are carried out. They've added positions for new media, held additional press briefings for those in that group, brought new media outlets into the press briefing room, and restored over 400 press badges that were revoked by the Biden administration.

Additionally, whereas the Biden White House was very frosty toward press, Trump has help open cabinet meetings that are both televises and open to press questions. He's taken multiple questions from reporters in the Oval Office, and his press team has conducted routine briefings, bringing in Cabinet members to answer press questions.