Just because the Constitution guarantees us freedom of press does not mean that lying press has full rein to attend any meeting or briefing they want to – including the Oval Office. This was confirmed by a federal judge on Monday.
Sad day for Associated Press, great day for President Donald Trump and the rest of the United States!
Judge declines to restore AP's position in White House press pool
Washington, D.C. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden on Monday refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press' access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not… pic.twitter.com/0t9bBk4ilH
— Blue Owl (@BlueOwlHoots) February 25, 2025
As reported by Trending Politics:
The ruling by US District Judge Trevor McFadden shot down a lawsuit brought by the Associated Press to regain access to the Oval Office and White House briefing room after the Trump administration rescinded its reporters’ credentials. The admonishment came after the outlet refused to acknowledge President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Although the decision is not final and a hearing on a possible preliminary injunction will still take place on March 20th, Judge McFadden wrote that he was not persuaded by the AP’s suggestion that it would face “irreparable harm” if not allowed back into the White House immediately.
Any news organization “can get access to the same information” from pool reports, which are handed out to all members of the White House Correspondents’ Association even if they are not allowed into the rooms where the action is taking place, he wrote.
In addition, Judge McFadden cited a multi-day delay by the AP in bringing the suit as further evidence that it was not being unduly burdened in such a way as to necessitate a judicial intervention, according to CNN.
https://twitter.com/GinaAugust/status/1894169449630241175
Despite siding with Trump’s decision, McFadden did question the White House though, wanting to know the reasoning for singling out AP. He claims that it’s “discriminatory” and “problematic.”
“It feels a little odd that the White House is bound by certain decisions that this private organization is making,” he said, noting that the White House “has accepted the White House Correspondent Association’s ability to be the referee here.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also spoke on the matter, reiterating that the administration stands by the decision to kick the AP from Oval Office meetings.
“As we have said from the beginning, asking the President of the United States questions in the Oval Office and aboard Air Force One is a privilege granted to journalists, not a legal right,” she explained.
AP spokesperson Lauren Easton responded to the ruling, “We look forward to our next hearing on March 20 where we will continue to stand for the right of the press and the public to speak freely without government retaliation. This is a fundamental American freedom.”