BREAKING: Trump Uses Putin-Like Tactics on White House Press Corps

Summary

Bulwark Takes: BREAKING: Trump Uses Putin-Like Tactics on White House Press Corps
Released: February 25, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Bulwark Takes, hosts Sam Stein and Lauren Egan delve into a significant and alarming development within the White House communication apparatus. Titled "BREAKING: Trump Uses Putin-Like Tactics on White House Press Corps," the episode explores President Trump's recent maneuvers to control the White House press pool, drawing unsettling parallels to authoritarian practices observed under Vladimir Putin's regime.

Changing the Power Dynamics of the White House Press Pool

The episode kicks off with Sam Stein introducing Lauren Egan and setting the stage for their discussion on the latest White House press briefing. They highlight a pivotal announcement made by Carolyn Levitt, the White House Press Secretary, which signifies a drastic shift in how the White House press pool is managed.

Carolyn Levitt's Announcement: [02:21]

"As you all know, for decades, a group of D.C. based journalists, the White House Correspondents Association has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the President of the United States in these most intimate spaces. Not anymore. I am proud to announce that we are going to give the power back to the people who read your papers, who watch your television shows, and who listen to your radio stations. Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team."

Sam Stein comments: [02:51]

"I love that she was like, we're going to give the power back to the people who watch your programs. Who. And then she's like, we'll be the tyranny. Who is in the pool."

Lauren Egan elaborates on the mechanics of the press pool, explaining that traditionally, the White House Correspondence Association (WHCA), an independent and longstanding organization, has curated a rotating group of 13 reporters who accompany the President, ensuring unbiased and comprehensive coverage.

Lauren Egan explains: [03:22]

"The press pool is a group of 13 reporters that travel with the President, no matter where he goes... Historically, the White House Correspondents Association, which was like over 100 years old at this point, has determined who is part of that rotation..."

Implications of the White House Taking Over the Press Pool

The hosts dissect the ramifications of the White House assuming control over the press pool selection. They express concern that this move undermines the independence of the press, drawing troubling comparisons to oppressive regimes where the state dictates media access and narrative.

Sam Stein draws parallels: [07:02]

"This reminds me of how the Kremlin took over its own press pool and made sure that only compliant journalists were given access."

Lauren Egan concurs, emphasizing the chilling effect this shift could have on journalistic freedom and the integrity of information disseminated to the public.

Lauren Egan states: [06:56]

"It's a chilling effect where these outlets are businesses... How does that, you know, affect sort of how they all think about."

Response from the White House Correspondence Association

Eugene Daniels, the president of the WHCA and a former Politico colleague of Sam and Lauren, issues a robust response to the White House's unilateral decision. His statement underscores the threat this poses to a free press and the historical significance of the WHCA in maintaining journalistic independence.

Eugene Daniels' Statement: [08:58]

"This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States, suggests the government will choose the journals who cover the President... In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."

Sam and Lauren express solidarity with Daniels, lamenting the lack of immediate pushback from the press corps during the announcement.

Sam Stein observes: [09:06]

"No one brought it up... the fact that not a single person brought it up was wild."

Potential Outcomes and Future Scenarios

The discussion then shifts to hypothetical scenarios, contemplating whether media outlets might organize a collective response to reclaim control over the press pool. Sam and Lauren debate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of such collective action, acknowledging the significant challenges involved.

Sam Stein speculates: [09:28]

"If all the outlets bandied together and they decide, you know what? We, this is just a line... Could that happen?"

Lauren Egan responds: [09:53]

"It's a lot of money... Maybe the podcasters are sitting on a lot of real though there."

They also touch upon the financial burdens associated with accompanying the President, noting that smaller or less financially robust outlets might find it difficult to comply with the new requirements.

Lauren Egan remarks: [13:41]

"It's really expensive to travel with the President. Like media outlets have to pay for that."

Assessing the Severity of the Situation

Towards the conclusion, Sam and Lauren rate the seriousness of this development, with Lauren firmly placing it at the top of the scale in terms of press freedom concerns.

Lauren Egan assesses: [13:27]

"This is in terms of like press. This is, this is a 10. This is really bad. Are you kidding?"

Closing Thoughts

Sam Stein wraps up the discussion by reflecting on an earlier interview with Chuck Tata, who emphasized the necessity of collective action among media outlets—an urgency that Sam now feels may be too late given the White House's swift actions.

Sam Stein concludes: [14:00]

"Chuck's big thing was collective action has to happen, and it's probably too late. I think Chuck was proven right, actually."

The episode ends with Sam and Lauren expressing their support for Eugene Daniels and the WHCA, highlighting the solidarity within the journalistic community against these authoritarian shifts.

Conclusion

This episode of Bulwark Takes provides a thorough and insightful analysis of President Trump's recent efforts to control the White House press pool, painting a concerning picture of diminishing press freedom in the United States. Through expert commentary and critical examination, Sam Stein and Lauren Egan underscore the potential long-term implications of such moves, urging vigilance and collective resistance to preserve the integrity of the free press.

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Notable Quotes:

• Carolyn Levitt: "[02:21]...we are going to give the power back to the people who read your papers, who watch your television shows, and who listen to your radio stations."

• Sam Stein: "[07:02]...This reminds me of how the Kremlin took over its own press pool..."

• Eugene Daniels: "[08:58]...In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."

• Lauren Egan: "[13:27] This is, this is a 10. This is really bad. Are you kidding?"

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisements, sponsorship messages, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions and analyses presented by Sam Stein and Lauren Egan.

Transcript

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[Sam Stein]

Hey guys, it's me, Sam Stein, managing editor at the Bulwark. I'm here with Lauren Egan. We are recording this on Tuesday. It's like 2pm White House press briefing just finished. And there was. Look, this is insider baseball, I'm not gonna lie. But there was some pretty dramatic news with respect to how the press corps, the White House press corps, will be able to interact with the President. You and I have both been members of the White House press corps. We've both been in the pool at the White House Press Corps. Today, seemingly out of nowhere, though not really, Carolyn Levitt, the White House press secretary, announced that instead of the White House Correspondence association being the person who determines the pool, and we'll get into what the pool is in a little bit. The White House itself was going to determine which outlets were in the pool. Let's play the clip. And then on the backside, let's talk about the significance of it.

[Carolyn Levitt]

As you all know, for decades, a group of D.C. based journalists, the White House Correspondents association has long dictated which journalists get to ask questions of the President of the United States in these most intimate spaces. Not anymore. I am proud to announce that we are going to give the power back to the people who read your papers, who watch your television shows, and who listen to your radio stations. Moving forward, the White House press pool will be determined by the White House press team.

[Sam Stein]

All right, first of all, was there an audible. Whoa, there was.

[Lauren Egan]

I heard that, too.

[Sam Stein]

Secondly.

[Lauren Egan]

So I guess they were, like, all taken off guard, like, yeah, certainly before.

[Sam Stein]

We get into the. The nuts and bolts here. I love that. She was like, we're going to give the power back to the people who watch your programs. Who. And then she's like, we'll be the tyranny. Who is in the pool.

[Lauren Egan]

Right, Right.

[Sam Stein]

I guess they're the people. I don't know. Let's start with this. What does the explain to everyone what the pool is? Because I don't really think beyond, like.

[Lauren Egan]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, it is. It is insider baseball, but it does matter. The press pool is a group of 13 reporters that travel with the President, no matter where he goes. So, like, he goes back to Mar A Lago for the weekend, the group's there. Anything he does, they're there. And historically, the White House Correspondents association, which was, like, over 100 years old at this point, has determined who is part of that rotation, because outlets rotate every day who's actually on duty for being a part of the press pool. They report back to the rest of the press corps, what the President says, what the President's doing, et cetera.

[Sam Stein]

And why have the White House Correspondents association control it as opposed to the White House?

[Lauren Egan]

Well, unless you want it to be like, giving CCP or giving Kremlin, like, you need an independent group of reporters to. To be the ones that are.

[Sam Stein]

To decide, yes, these are the people who will cover the President. Not.

[Lauren Egan]

And I think it's important to note that, like, it's not just like the New York Times and the Washington Post and the AP that are part of this, like, New York Post is in this Huff Post is like, there's a lot of different kinds of new media. Yeah, yeah. Daily. I'll just say that tragically, we're not. So it's not like. It's just like this, like, group of, like, I don't know, you know, like five or six outlets. Like, it's kind of a big rotation at this point.

[Sam Stein]

And what do you get? What is the benefits of being in the pool?

[Lauren Egan]

Are there for one, you. Yeah, I mean, you get to, like, obviously you get access. You get to be in the Oval Office, you get to travel with the President. I think, you know, you get to see all this stuff up close and firsthand. All the President's aides get to know you better. You have that kind of interaction. And I think in terms of, you know, for, like, the TV outlets, they get to be right there. They get their cameras right there for their. For their new shows and whatnot, it does make a big difference. And especially for places like the AP that are kind of like, selling that really fast reaction, as soon as President Trump says something, they blast it out to their subscribers, the people that pay for their services. That's how they make their money.

[Sam Stein]

All right, so the backstory here is the AP refuses to call the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America because it's an international body water. They are, we should note, calling Mount Denali, Mount McKinley because it's the U.S. territory. So it's not like they're just totally opposed to Trump. They're just, in this case, using a different standard than Trump wants because they're doing that. The White House has kicked them out of the pool or forbid them from coming, I should say forbid them from coming into the Oval Office. In, on Air Force One, this was the resultant in a lawsuit. It was partially rejected or at least temporarily rejected by a judge yesterday that was declared victory. That's what preceded this. Now, Carolyn Lovett was like, well, we'll continue to have members of the five big TV networks. We'll continue to have a. A wire service. No, I think she's just doing that because she doesn't want to be seen as being overly blunt.

[Lauren Egan]

Well, yeah, she said, like, their spots will remain. But, like, what is that?

[Sam Stein]

Doesn't it. To me, to me, that's just her being like, we're going to. It's not too big a deal, but we're going to determine who else gets to come in. But that's the big deal is who gets to determine who goes in. Right. Like, because at any point in time, if it's the White House's prerogative, they'll just be like, actually, we don't like that outlet. Right.

[Lauren Egan]

It's a chilling effect where, like, these, these outlets are businesses. Their business model, in part, relies on them having, you know, especially, like, the TV outlets having certain kind of visual access.

[Sam Stein]

Right.

[Lauren Egan]

And like, how does that, you know, affect sort of how they all think about.

[Sam Stein]

Well, I suppose if the, if the TV had. Yeah. If The TV has a pooler at all times, and they pool.

[Lauren Egan]

They can share.

[Sam Stein]

They can share information.

[Lauren Egan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Stein]

And so, like, the big deal here is that if you do give the power away from the institution themselves, you have essentially what Peter Baker, the New York Times, was tweeting about today, like, kind of looks like. Well, at least to him, it looks like something he uncovered in Moscow. He. He writes, having served as a Moscow correspondent in the early days of Putin's reign. This reminds me of how the Kremlin took over its own press pool and made sure that only compliant journalists were given access. Lauren, you didn't cover.

[Lauren Egan]

Reassuring.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, no, it's not good. I don't. I'm not happy. I'm not happy that this is the comparison that we are. We're drawing here. And look, while we recorded this, Eugene Daniels, our. Our dear friend, former colleague at Politico. I don't envy him, but he's the president of the White House Correspondence Association. Kind of falls on him to figure out how to push back on this. He put out a. A pretty lengthy statement. We'll read it in part. This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States, suggests the government will choose the journals who cover the President. In free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps. Goes on through the history of the White House Correspondence association itself. It says, to be clear, the White House did not give the White House Correspondent association board a heads up or have any discussions about today's announcements. But the White House Correspondent association will never stop advocating for comprehensive access, full transparency, and the right of the American public to re. Listen to and watch reports from the White House delivered without fear or favor. Yeah. So not in that announcement. And maybe that's just because it's to come as any sense that there's going to be some sort of collective action response to it that I read.

[Lauren Egan]

Yeah. I mean, I think even if you watch the press briefing, no one brought it up. Like, no reporter pushed back on it.

[Sam Stein]

It didn't come off.

[Lauren Egan]

Kind of wild. Like, I don't know, like, I get that they were caught off guard, but still the fact that to me, that was like just a concerning sign. It's like people are already, like, kind of running scared and like, right with this happening with the ap, is everyone just kind of like, I'm not gonna poke the bear, but like, the fact that not a single person brought it up was wild. So wild to me.

[Sam Stein]

Well, let's play this out in theory. Let's say all the outlets bandied together and they decide, you know what? We, this is just a line. We can't, we can't allow. It's our, it's our press pool. We, we need to control who's in it. If the White House is going to take control of that, we won't send anyone to these pool events. Could that happen?

[Lauren Egan]

I mean, what does the White House care? Like, I don't know, like, then they get their other agencies.

[Sam Stein]

Trump cares enough that he wants the media. That's the, but that's the problem is he'll find someone, they'll find other outlets.

[Lauren Egan]

That will show up. I think it could work for a minute, but like, I, I don't know how successful that would actually be.

[Sam Stein]

So if they, let's say they do it in the right side broadcasting networks, like actually, you know what? Fuck you guys. We'll show up and we'll broadcast this stuff and.

[Lauren Egan]

Right.

[Sam Stein]

That defeats the entire boycott.

[Lauren Egan]

Yeah, I mean, I like, it's, it's also like, I think that the association is so, it's so much of an institution. Right. Like, they all care so much about the fact that like you have to have eyes and ears on the President the entire time.

[Sam Stein]

Right.

[Lauren Egan]

I think, I think they'd have a really hard time sort of just like giving that up, even if it was just like a, let's see what happens over the next 48 hours.

[Sam Stein]

Like, I think ultimately they, they value the access and not just access, but the need to be.

[Lauren Egan]

Yeah, because access are. Document.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, that's a bad word. The, the, the sort of very important.

[Lauren Egan]

Like public service part of it. Whereas like if we take our eyes and ears off the President, even if we're doing it for like, you know, this greater.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, but that's a slippery slope. Right. Because once you start doing this, they'll control anything. Right?

[Lauren Egan]

Right. Because if you do that, you're just then agreeing to play by their rules.

[Sam Stein]

Whatever his rules are.

[Lauren Egan]

Right, yeah.

[Sam Stein]

And then at that point you're basically saying, well, I mean, this is, they're going to control at this point the pool reports too. Right. Or maybe not. So the pool reports are the things that are sent out off of an event. Let's say Trump's meeting with Macron, they only are allowing print pullers in, not the TV cameras. Well, that's not what happened yesterday. But let's say in theory they are. Print puller is there, he's got a write up or she's got to write up exactly what was said in that moment and they're literally one of four or five people who are in the room to document it. Usually the print pool is sent to the White House Correspondence association for dissemination. Right. Am I wrong about that?

[Lauren Egan]

That is right.

[Sam Stein]

Then if in theory the White House is taking over this responsibility, the print pool then gets sent to the White House for dissemination. Potentially. We don't know the details yet.

[Lauren Egan]

Well, the print puller can like send it out directly to all of the people who are part of the White House Correspondence Association.

[Sam Stein]

But this is a question now is how do you dissemin the pooled events if the White House is the one determining who the poolers are?

[Lauren Egan]

Right, right. Yeah, it's, it's just really, really messy. And the pooler parts, like the pool reports, I mean, they are supposed to serve as this, like, you know, I think we can get like a little too pearl clutchy sometimes about like the role that, that the association plays in setting the historical record. But like, you can go back and find pool reports from like years and years ago. Like, they do serve as the fundamental, like, they're very important, you know, they're really important. So it's also like, okay, what outlets are going to be writing the pool reports now? You know, like, how are we going to like.

[Sam Stein]

Well, I will say I was early HuffPost White House pool in the Obama years. And there was a lot of anger within the White House Correspondents association over my inclusion in the pool because they thought I would write biased pool reports. I don't think I did. But it's possible if you look back.

[Lauren Egan]

We can all go back and read.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, exactly. All right. On the scale of like 1 to 10, 10 being like pretty, pretty problematic. Hair on fire. One being like, it's okay, we can plow through this. Where do you put this one?

[Lauren Egan]

This is in terms of like press.

[Sam Stein]

Just the press, not like real world.

[Lauren Egan]

This is, this is a 10. This is really bad. Are you kidding?

[Sam Stein]

Like, I was gonna go with an. Yeah, 7.5 to 8, but you might be right.

[Lauren Egan]

I mean, I think we, we have to give it like if you, let's see if this works out in practice. The other thing is it's really expensive to travel with the President. Like media outlets have to pay for that.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah. So that's another. You know, I don't know if like all the, all the right wing Trumpy outlets are going to be on board for doing all that expensive travel.

[Lauren Egan]

Yeah, it's a lot of money.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah. Maybe the podcasters are sitting on a lot of real though there. Okay, cool. This was helpful. A little alarming. Relatedly. You guys can check out the interview I had with Chuck Tata about a week and a half, two weeks ago, where we talked about the. The treatment of the ap. Chuck's big thing was collective action has to happen, and it's probably too late. I think Chuck was proven right, actually. Because if they did this today, we're already down the slippery slope. All right, Lauren, thanks for doing this.

[Lauren Egan]

Catch you later.

[Sam Stein]

If Eugene hits you up, pitch him, pitch him on.

[Lauren Egan]

Do we, like, send him some ice cream or something?

[Sam Stein]

I don't know. He's kind of a little Eugene. We don't. We feel for you, buddy.

[Lauren Egan]

We love you, buddy.

[Sam Stein]

We do love you. All right, tune into the feed, guys. Subscribe, we'll be in touch.

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