Well, grab the popcorn because it looks like President-elect Trump is gearing up to shake the snow globe that is the White House press briefing room, and boy, are the media elites in a panic. The idea that Trump might rearrange the sacred seating chart and—gasp—let podcasters, internet personalities, and other non-establishment voices into the inner sanctum has reporters clutching their pearls. The drama is almost too delicious to watch.
For decades, the front rows of the James Brady Briefing Room have been the exclusive domain of the corporate media titans: NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and their cohorts. They’ve lorded over those coveted spots, throwing softball questions to Democrats and hurling gotcha grenades at Republicans. But now, with Trump signaling that this little club might lose its VIP status, their collective meltdown is hitting epic proportions.
White House Press Corps ‘Recoils’ Over Proposed Seating Chart Shakeup https://t.co/ybCUSJEPIJ
— Marlon East Of The Pecos (@Darksideleader2) December 5, 2024
Let’s be clear: Trump isn’t proposing to end White House press briefings or ban the media from covering him. He’s simply suggesting a level playing field—something the mainstream press has fiercely resisted for years. As Donald Trump Jr. aptly pointed out, why not let independent journalists with larger audiences and, frankly, less overt partisanship have a seat at the table? After all, the mainstream outlets have spent the last eight years masquerading as objective while functioning as the Democrats’ PR department.
I’m a former WHCA member and former Daily Caller WH correspondent so I can speak to the cartel: The WHCA regulates the seat chart inside the WH Press Briefing Room. Applying/getting a seat plus workspace inside the grounds can take years and is an intentional guild mechanism to… https://t.co/wTf0cDX3oZ
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) November 8, 2024
The media’s reactions are as predictable as they are laughable. Anonymous reporters told The Hill they’re feeling “annoyance, frustration, and dread.” One even threatened that outlets might boycott the briefings altogether. Boycott away, buddy—there’s a long line of scrappy, hungry journalists ready to take your spot. Others worry about the “kerfuffle” that could arise if Trump does upend the seating arrangements. You’d think he proposed dismantling the republic instead of reorganizing a room.
Critics argue that putting more diverse voices in the briefing room could “beclown” the process, as one longtime correspondent put it. Really? Because the press corps didn’t look clownish when they fell over themselves during the Biden administration, calling Afghanistan a “success” or praising his ice cream choices? Give me a break. If anything, a shake-up might bring some much-needed seriousness and accountability to a press pool that’s been on autopilot for years.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s pick for press secretary, isn’t exactly shrinking from the fight either. Her recent comments about instilling “decorum” while dealing with “hostile media” are spot on. For years, the press corps has acted like a pack of attack dogs during Republican administrations and lapdogs during Democratic ones. Trump’s team is making it clear that the days of endless shouting matches and media grandstanding might be over.
Of course, the media elites are already warning that independent journalists might not play nice if given access. They’re wringing their hands over potential “friendly coverage” turning into “broken promises” stories. Translation: They’re terrified that independent voices won’t play by their rules—or worse, that they’ll expose how the sausage is really made in Washington.
The truth is that Trump’s idea to open the briefing room to a wider range of voices is a direct challenge to the mainstream media’s monopoly on access and narrative control. It’s not about shutting anyone out—it’s about letting more people in. And if the legacy media can’t handle a little competition, maybe they’re not as indispensable as they think.
So, here’s a suggestion to the reporters sulking in the back rows: adapt or step aside. The briefing room isn’t your personal clubhouse, and Trump doesn’t owe you a front-row seat. This shake-up might just be the jolt the media needs to rediscover what journalism is supposed to be about—accountability, truth, and serving the public. And if that makes them uncomfortable, well, maybe it’s about time.
