Seating Chart for the New Briefing

According to a senior official, the White House plans to assume responsibility for press briefing room seating assignments as part of the Trump administration’s most recent display of control over the press corps.

The White House Correspondents’ Association, an independent organization that currently distributes seats and oversees relations between the White House and the press corps, might oppose the plan.

Sean Spicer, Trump’s first press secretary from his first term, wrote to his counterpart Karoline Leavitt on X, “Yes to this – keep it going @PressSec.”

CNN was informed of the plan by a senior White House official, who did not elaborate.

According to a number of correspondents, a reorganization of the seating chart has been anticipated because the changes will be symbolic and welcomed by pro-Trump media outlets. Since their employers had not given them permission to speak in public, the sources spoke under the condition of anonymity.

According to a White House correspondent, “where people sit doesn’t really matter.” “But it does matter when the White House attempts to take control away from an elected group in order to influence what questions are asked and how stories are covered.”

That organization is the Correspondents’ Association, which is run by a revolving board of journalists chosen by their fellow journalists.

A request for comment regarding the status of the seating chart was not answered by Eugene Daniels, the group’s current president. According to reports, the association is taking into account a variety of potential answers.