Donald Trump plans on implementing a traditional press pool in his White House, a spokeswoman told Politico.
{mosads}”We fully expect to operate a traditional pool and look forward to implementing our plans in the near future,” campaign press secretary Hope Hicks said. “We appreciate your patience as we navigate the transition process.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association criticized the president-elect on Thursday for foregoing the traditional pool during his White House visit with President Obama.
“The White House Correspondents’ Association is deeply concerned by President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to reject the practice of traveling with a ‘protective pool’ of reporters for his first visit to Washington since the election,” WHCA President Jeff Mason said in a statement.
“In addition to breaking with decades of historical precedent and First Amendment principles, this decision could leave Americans blind about his whereabouts and well-being in the event of a national crisis. A pool of reporters is in place and ready to cover President-elect Trump. The WHCA urges President-elect Trump to allow it to do its job, including being present for motorcade movements, meetings, and other interactions. Not allowing a pool of journalists to travel with and cover the next president of the United States is unacceptable.”
A protective pool allows reporters from various media outlets to cover the movements of the president at all times.
When the president travels, the journalists accompanying him are picked on a rotating basis, and they disseminate information about events to the wider press corps.