Overview
- In a Pod Force One interview released Wednesday, Karoline Leavitt said she keeps a tight grip on briefing dynamics and prepares extensively for reporters’ questions.
- The White House removed control of the pool rotation from the White House Correspondents’ Association, bringing selections under direct administration control.
- Reporters must now book appointments to enter the Upper Press offices, curbing drop-in access to senior communications staff.
- Leavitt linked the restrictions to heightened safeguards after Marco Rubio’s National Security Council reorganization and to claims that some reporters recorded conversations without consent.
- The administration added a briefing-room seat for independent outlets and created a dedicated new‑media spot in the pool rotation as traditional access pathways narrowed.