British News Agency

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision was made “due to the Wall Street Journal’s false and defamatory conduct.” The move referred to the outlet’s recent report concerning Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.

The July 17 report described a collection of letters given to Epstein in 2003 for his 50th birthday, including a note bearing Trump’s name and the silhouette of a naked woman. The next day, Trump filed a defamation lawsuit, claiming “there was no actual letter or sketch.”

The White House is using one of its tools — control over access to Trump — to retaliate against the newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Until earlier this year, pool assignments were handled by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), an independent group representing journalists. However, in February, Leavitt bypassed the group and took control of the pool, granting the administration new leverage.

The pool is a small group of journalists who travel with the president and cover events on behalf of the broader press corps. Since many presidential events — such as Oval Office photo ops and Air Force One Q&A sessions — occur in small groups, pool rotation is critically important.

Leavitt had also sidelined the reporters’ association after Trump ordered the Associated Press to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the American Gulf, which the AP, as a global news agency, refused — leading to a months-long legal dispute over press access.