Donald Trump Jr. claims his father’s White House Briefing Room could potentially swap out traditional journalists for podcasters and other content creators they consider “our friends.”
Speaking on the latest episode of his “Triggered With Donald Trump Jr.” podcast, the president-elect’s eldest son claimed talks have been underway to load the deck with friendly faces better known for supporting than questioning Donald Trump.
The topic came up when Trump Jr.’s co-host, Michael Knowles, suggested it was time to “take away some people’s seats.”
Trump Jr. revealed the very matter was discussed during a recent flight with his dad and Elon Musk.
“We were talking about the podcast world and some of our friends and [Joe] Rogan and guys like you,” Trump Jr. said. “Given how the media has behaved… we had the conversation about opening up the press room to a lot of these independent journalists.”
Trump Jr. went so far as to suggest that maybe he should be in the White House Briefing Room, but quickly decided that might not be allowed. Either way, he said a change that could “blow up some heads” isn’t out of the question.
The independently run White House Correspondents’ Association has traditionally dealt with press credentials for journalists covering the Oval Office. The organization, founded in 1914, doesn’t typically fill the 49 seats in the White House Briefing Room with comics like Rogan, who’s the nation’s top-rated podcaster.
It’s not clear whether the freewheeling Rogan would consider leaving his cozy Austin, Texas studio for Washington, D.C. to report on the White House. How much control the incoming Trump Administration will actually be able to assert over the press room is also unknown.
One night each year, The White House Correspondents’ Association organizes a dinner where comics roast the sitting president. In his first term in office, Trump did not attend that event.
