Well, well, well… looks like the media finally got their hall pass revoked — and naturally, they’re pitching a fit. The horror! The White House is making them knock before barging into the press secretary’s office like they own the place. It’s 2025, folks, and while President Trump and VP J.D. Vance are busy trying to put the country back together, the press corps is busy… sneaking around corners with their phones out like high school gossip hounds.
This week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — yes, the one who doesn’t melt under pressure like her predecessors — laid it all out. She told Miranda Devine on Pod Force One that her team decided to implement appointment-only access to the Upper Press office. Why? Because apparently, some members of the “esteemed” White House press corps were caught allegedly recording private staff conversations without permission. You know, that thing that’s wildly unethical and probably illegal depending on where you’re standing? Yeah, that.
Leavitt didn’t mince words. She described the kind of behavior you’d expect from TMZ, not credentialed journalists with West Wing access. Reporters were allegedly lurking near staff meetings, eavesdropping on conversations, and trying to ambush senior officials like Secretary Marco Rubio (who’s now National Security Advisor, by the way — in case you blinked and missed that Trump-era upgrade). Imagine briefing your national security team while a reporter is hovering outside the door with their iPhone on “voice memo.”
But sure, let’s pretend the real threat to democracy is Trump putting America first — not journalists acting like undercover agents inside the actual White House.
So now, if you’re a reporter and you want a meeting with the press secretary, you make an appointment. Radical stuff, huh? Try that in any corporate office in America and it wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. But because it’s the Trump White House, suddenly it’s “media suppression” and the “death of transparency.” Give me a break.
Leavitt also mentioned that, even with this change, she still gives the press as much access as humanly possible — and given that she splits her day between the press room and the Oval Office, she’s got a little more on her plate than swatting away activist reporters pretending to be victims of tyranny.
But here’s the kicker: all that performative outrage you see blasted across Twitter and cable news? According to Leavitt, a bunch of those same reporters are just fine with the new rules in private — as long as they still get face time with her. So, let’s get this straight. They’re quietly scheduling their appointments like civilized adults but simultaneously tweeting like they’ve been tossed into a gulag. That’s the level of honesty we’re dealing with here.
Steven Cheung, Assistant to the President and White House Communications Director, backed her up too. He confirmed that the restrictions came down after journalists were caught allegedly sneaking into restricted rooms and trying to record confidential conversations. Imagine being so entitled that you think creeping into classified discussions is part of your job description.
Cheung reminded everyone that Lower Press is still open. The press team is there, ready to take questions. No one’s cutting off access. They’re just not handing out backstage passes to every nosy journalist who feels like wandering the halls of the West Wing without supervision.
Let’s not forget — this is the same media that spent four years whining about “norms” and “decorum” under Trump 1.0, and now they’re the ones allegedly sneaking around like kids in a candy store, trying to catch senior staff in a “gotcha” moment. When the adults in the room set boundaries, the toddlers start screaming “authoritarianism!”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on reporters being banned from roaming the Upper Press Area of the White House: “We did unfortunately catch some reporters recording us, without our permission. Listening in on our conversations—eavesdropping. We would have staff… pic.twitter.com/eee3a6MC7I
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) November 19, 2025
Here’s the bottom line: the media isn’t losing access. They’re just losing the ability to spy on staff meetings like it’s a reality TV show. If that’s a problem for them, maybe it says more about their intentions than it does about the White House’s transparency.
But hey, if you’re wondering why trust in the media is circling the drain like leftover soup in a leaky sink… look no further than their reaction to being asked — gasp — to make an appointment.
