The White House has reportedly been inundated with requests from “new media” groups applying for press credentials, receiving more than 7,400 submissions in the 24 hours since it was announced that the briefing room will be open to those outside the legacy media.
On Tuesday, during her first briefing from the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the Trump administration will be welcoming alternative media sources—including bloggers, podcasters, and social media personalities—into the press corps for the first time ever.
“The Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room, because according to recent polling from Gallup, Americans’ trust in mass media has fallen to a record low,” Leavitt said. “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. 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.”
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The first questions during that press briefing were given to journalists from Axios and Breitbart, neither of which have ever been given a seat in the room “despite being some of the most viewed news websites in the country.”
The Daily Wire has also secured a seat in the briefing room, announcing on inauguration day that senior reporter Mary Margaret Olohan will serve as the outlet’s new White House correspondent.
Very excited to share that I will be @realDailyWire’s first White House Correspondent, covering Donald Trump’s second administration from the White House, the briefing room, and beyond! pic.twitter.com/2PSU8RR6si
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 20, 2025
Additionally, Leavitt announced that the Trump administration would be restoring press credentials to 440 journalists who were denied access by the Biden administration. In 2023, Biden’s briefing room added stricter requirements for press pool participation, including proof of “full-time employment with an organization whose principal business is news dissemination,” a DC-area address, and credentials to “a press gallery in either the US Senate, US House of Representatives, or Supreme Court.”
In contrast, the new administration has shown increasing support for the alternative media, beginning with Donald Trump’s winning podcast strategy during his 2024 campaign. Trump’s sit-downs with unconventional media figures like Adin Ross, Theo Von, Joe Rogan, and even Valuetainment’s own Patrick Bet-David brought his message to new audiences, and is credited with being one of the leading factors behind his reelection.
“As long as you are creating news-related content of the day and you’re a legitimate independent journalist, you’re welcome to cover this White House,” Leavitt said.
Those interested in applying for credentials can do so via the White House’s new media website.
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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