The President-elect, Donald Trump, has spoken about potentially giving seats in the White House Press Briefing Room to podcast hosts like Joe Rogan, instead of traditional journalists, according to his eldest child.
Donald Trump Jr. revealed this discussion during a recent episode of his podcast, Triggered With Donald Trump Jr.
His co-host, Daily Wire political analyst Michael Knowles, proposed the notion hypothetically: “I’m curious, as your father is putting together his team, and perhaps [future White House press secretary] Karoline Leavitt is considering the new seating arrangement for the press briefing room, maybe it’s time to reorganize that seating chart and possibly remove some individuals from their spots.”
Don Jr. responded that Knowles didn’t have to speculate about whether the Trump team was considering this idea. Indeed, he confirmed it is under active consideration.
“We’re about to reveal some news here because I just had this conversation with—while I was flying back, I was on a plane with my father, I believe it was after the SpaceX launch with Elon [Musk] from last week,” he shared. “We were discussing the podcast landscape and some of our acquaintances, including Rogan and others like you.”
Don Jr. mentioned that the proposition to include podcasters and independent media in the press area received a favorable response: “‘That’s an excellent idea, Don.‘”
“So that may indeed be in the pipeline,” he continued. “That’s going to raise some eyebrows, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
Don Jr. defended the idea by arguing that established media corporations have displayed bias against his father and the forthcoming administration, referencing a recent New York Times article that misrepresented Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy’s stance on food coloring, which prompted a correction.
“If the New York Times has been dishonest and has shown bias against everything, essentially acting as the promotional arm of the Democratic Party, why not make room for individuals with larger audiences and stronger followings?” he stated.
Other than his co-host Knowles and Rogan, Don Jr. did not mention any additional figures from the podcasting sphere or independent media who might receive an invitation to the White House press briefings under a revised system. Given that Rogan resides in Austin, Texas, it’s quite unlikely he would participate in regular media events in D.C.
Throughout the campaign, Don Jr.’s father participated in discussions with various streaming and podcast hosts, including comedian Theo Von, former wrestler Mark “The Undertaker” Calaway, the Barstool Sports program Bussin’ with the Boys, and YouTuber Adin Ross, who was permanently banned from Twitch for slurs and “hateful conduct.”
Vice president-elect JD Vance also made the rounds on podcasts, having discussions with Rogan and Von, along with comedian Tim Dillon.
It remains uncertain how the Trump transition team could modify the seating arrangement in the press briefing room.
While the White House oversees the issuance of credentials, the White House Correspondents’ Association, which operates independently, is responsible for designating seats in the compact James S. Brady Briefing Room, which has only 49 highly sought-after seats available.
During his initial term, Trump’s administration attempted to exclude certain media organizations viewed as critical from off-camera press briefings. Additionally, it granted temporary credentials to the conspiracy-oriented outlet Infowars.
More recently, Trump’s 2024 campaign barred specific journalists from covering its Election Night rally earlier this month.
