White House Changes Journalists’ Access to Press Offices Near Oval Office

The White House issued a new rule on Friday requiring credentialed journalists to schedule appointments before accessing Room 140, known as “Upper Press,” in the West Wing. The change is effective immediately and is intended to safeguard sensitive materials handled by communications staff as structural changes take place at the National Security Council (NSC).

The White House’s new restriction on journalist access is a considerable change to press operations in the West Wing.

The Oct. 31 memorandum comes from the National Security Council and prohibits credentialed journalists from going into Room 140, commonly known as “Upper Press,” without a prescheduled appointment.

Room 140 is located near the Oval Office, and has historically been a place for interactions between reporters and key communications personnel, such as press secretary Karoline Leavitt and her deputy, Steven Cheung.

The memo states that the change is needed due to recent structural adjustments at the NSC to better manage access to sensitive material.

“In order to protect such material, and maintain coordination between National Security Council Staff and White House Communications Staff, members of the press are no longer permitted to access Room 140 without prior approval in the form of an appointment with an authorized White House Staff Member,” the memo reads.

The change underscores the administration’s desire to safeguard potentially classified or sensitive information.

Trump has taken on mainstream media in numerous ways since taking office, including removing Reuters, The Associated Press, and Bloomberg News from the permanent White House press pool.

In January, Leavitt announced new media access guidelines, intended to include more independent journalists and content creators in White House events.

Leavitt, who made the announcement during her inaugural briefing, stressed the need for a more diverse group of news outlets in the White House press pool. The rule changes from January were meant to democratize access to the White House, the press secretary said, at a time when legacy media is seeing record-low public trust, according to Gallup data. Trump has reinstated press credentials for around 440 journalists denied under the Biden administration.

In her announcement, Leavitt said the change is a demonstration of respect for the First Amendment and a way to adapt to the modern media landscape, which includes podcasters and bloggers.

“The Trump White House will speak with all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room,” Leavitt said.

Reuters contributed to this report.