Trump has been at war with judges in recent weeks. They aren’t giving him a break whatsoever.
And this federal judge just betrayed Donald Trump by making this appalling ruling.
Federal Judge Orders White House to Reinstate AP’s Presidential Pool Access
In a significant ruling on Tuesday, a federal judge declared that the White House must permit the Associated Press (AP) to resume its role in the presidential press pool, granting the outlet access to exclusive locations like Air Force One and other restricted zones where only a select group of journalists can interact with President Trump. The decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing clash between the administration and the press.
The judge behind the ruling, Trevor McFadden of the D.C. U.S. District Court—a Trump appointee from 2017—put a temporary five-day hold on his own order. This pause gives the White House until Sunday to escalate the matter to a higher court before the decision officially kicks in.
The conflict stems from a White House ban imposed after the AP declined to adopt the term “Gulf of America,” a label President Trump assigned to the Gulf of Mexico shortly after his January 20 inauguration.
The AP, a globally recognized news outlet, stood firm on its editorial independence, insisting it had the right to stick with “Gulf of Mexico” in its reporting.
In response, the wire service faced immediate exclusion from pool duties. AP reporters, undeterred, continued showing up for their assigned shifts at Mar-a-Lago and tightly controlled White House events—such as those in the East Room and Oval Office—only to be repeatedly denied entry by Trump’s team.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s stance, framing press access as a “privilege” rather than a right. She argued that the press office could rightfully bar outlets refusing to align with the government’s renamed geographic title.
However, Judge McFadden’s ruling on Tuesday rejected that position, emphasizing that while the White House isn’t obligated to open every event to all media, it must provide equal access to comparable outlets, regardless of editorial differences.
“The Court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints. The Constitution requires no less,” McFadden wrote in his decision.
The White House press system operates on two tiers. Hundreds of journalists hold a “hard pass,” granting entry to the briefing room and press workspace.
A smaller, elite group—the pool—gains access to more personal settings, offering rare chances to question the president directly.
Historically, the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) determined pool assignments, but the Trump administration seized control, cherry-picking which reporters could join or be dropped from the lineup.
Before the ban, the AP shared daily pool access to the president’s restricted events with fellow wire services Reuters and Bloomberg.
Under Trump’s rules, only one wire service is permitted in the pool each day. After the “Gulf of America” dispute, the AP was entirely shut out of this rotation.
“The Court does not order the Government to grant the AP permanent access to the Oval Office, the East Room, or any other media event. It does not bestow special treatment upon the AP. Indeed, the AP is not necessarily entitled to the ‘first in line every time’ permanent press pool access it enjoyed under the WHCA. But it cannot be treated worse than its peer wire services either,” McFadden clarified.
This isn’t the first time an administration has been accused of playing favorites with the press. During President Biden’s tenure, his team rolled out a prescreening process for large indoor gatherings, which they used to block the New York Post from attending for seven straight months. The exclusion followed explosive stories from the outlet about Biden’s ties to his son and brother’s overseas business dealings. At times, Biden aides cited a lack of space—despite leaving as many as two dozen press seats unoccupied.
The Trump administration now faces a ticking clock to appeal, with the spotlight firmly on the balance between governmental authority and press freedom.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
