White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced today that a “New Media Seat” has been added to the White House briefing room. This seat is open to content creators and independent journalists outside traditional media sources. Podcasters, YouTubers, TikTokers, and other creators are eligible for access.
Creators can apply to cover the White House and get press credentials at whitehouse.gov/newmedia. The site is already live.
Karoline Leavitt is the youngest and first Gen Z Press Secretary in United States history, at just 27. Leavitt has pushed for featuring podcasters and influencers in the briefing room even before Trump took office again. In December, she explained on Fox News the importance creators and new media figures had played in President Trump’s election.
“President Trump ran in an untraditional media lane on the campaign trail. It’s [a] big part of the reason he won. Because he sat down with podcasters and social influencers and new voices that the American people are clearly listening to,” Leavitt explained to Fox.
Below is a transcript of Leavitt’s remarks announcing the new seat at today’s press conference.
Karoline Leavitt’s Announcement of the New Media Seat in the Briefing Room
Millions of Americans, especially young people, have turned from traditional television outlets and newspapers to consume their news from podcasts, blogs, social media, and other independent outlets.
It’s essential to our team that we share President Trump’s message everywhere and adapt this White House to the new media landscape in 2025.
To do this, I am excited to announce the following changes will be made to this historic James S. Brady briefing room, where Mr. Brady’s legacy will endure.
This White House believes strongly in the First Amendment, so it’s why our team will work diligently to restore the press passes of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration.
We’re also opening up this briefing room to new media voices who produce news-related content and whose outlet is not already represented by one of the seats in this room.
We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House.
You can apply now on our new website, whitehouse.gov/newmedia.
Starting today, this seat in the front of the room, which is usually occupied by the Press Secretary’s staff, will be called the new media seat.
My team will review the applications and give credentials to new media applicants who meet our criteria and pass United States Secret Service requirements to enter the White House complex.
So, in light of these announcements, our first questions for today’s briefing will go to these new media members whose outlets, despite being some of the most viewed news websites in the country, have not been given seats in this room.
