Trump bars AP, Reuters and Bloomberg from Air Force One during Mideast trip
Reporters from major news services were barred from traveling aboard Air Force One for President Trump’s high-stakes trip through the Middle 🌌East — an unprecedented move that was
The exclusion of the Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg marks the first time in modern history that no wire service repo💯rters traveled with the president on an overseas visit.
The WHCA called the move “a disservice to every American who deserves to know what their highest elected leader is up to, as quickly as possible.꧟”
“The White House pool was created to be representative of the different types of media outlets that serve different readers,” the WHCA said ꦑin a statement.
“Leaving out the wires is a disservice to Americans who need news about their president, especially on foreign trips where anything could hap𓃲pen and the consequences can impact the entire world.”
There were members from other news outlets aboard Air Force One, , who filmed a social media video touting it as “a huge news day” while listing Trump’s stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Fox News shares common ownership with The Post.
The ban of wire service reporters followed a standoff between the Trump administration and the AP after the outlet refused to adopt the White House’s preferred name “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump is also reportedly considering renaming ꧅the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf,” a provocative move that could further escalate tensions with Tehran.
A federal ju🏅dge later ordered the AP’s access restored, but instead of complying, the White House ಌeliminated the wire pool seat entirely.
The WHCA urged the White House to reverse course.
“The WHCA is disturbed by this new restriction on who can cover this White House and continued retaliation for independent editorial decisions,” the organization said in a statement.
“The WHCA is advocating for the wire service journalists to return to their seats on Air Force One where they have reliably covered every president for decades, not for us but for the millions of Americans who depend on their reporting every day.”
The Post has sought comment from the White House.
AP told The Post that at least one of its photographers was in the pool aboard Air Force One but that its writers “traveled unilaterally” to cover the president’s trip.
A Reuters spokesperson told The Post: “It is essential to democracy that the public have access to independent, impartial and accurate news about their government. Any steps by the US government to limit access to the President threatens that principle, both for the public and the world’s media.
A Bloomberg rep told The Post that the outlet “stands by its previous statements.”
Last month, Bloomberg criticized Trump for moving to limit newswire access🔯 aꦜfter a federal judge sided with AP.
“For decades, the daily presence of the wire services in the press pool has ensu🌼red that investors and voters across the United States andꦕ around the world can rely on accurate real-time reporting on what the president says and does,”
“We deeply regret the decision to remove that permanent level of scr🎃utiny and ac♋countability.”
On this trip, Air Force One reportedly carried two print reporters, one radio correspondent, four television journalists and five photographe🌠rs.
It was unclear which other outlets except f🐭or Fox News are represented.
