The White House Correspondents' Association is sounding the alarm over both Trump and Clinton
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump has yet agreed to a protective press pool, and with just 15 days left until the election, the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is sounding the alarm, The Huffington Post reports.
Presidents and president-elects are historically followed by a group of reporters who travel everywhere with the individual in order to report on what he or she is doing, with whom he or she is meeting, and are present if there is a historic event or threat on the president's or president-elect's life. Both Trump and Clinton have been criticized for their current traveling press pools, which aren't fully protective — Trump flies without his and has mocked them on the campaign trail, and reporters weren't told where Clinton was for over an hour after she became ill at a Sept. 11 memorial event, raising unnecessary alarm.
The WHCA board wrote stern letters to both Trump and Clinton's campaigns, stating disapproval over the unprecedented break with tradition. "The WHCA expects the new president-elect to have a protective pool immediately, just like the president does, and we are set to take over coordination of the pooling process from the campaign press corps directly after the election," they wrote. "Not having a protective pool accompany the president-elect would be a particularly serious breach of historical precedent and First Amendment responsibilities. It would prompt consistent and public criticism from the White House press corps, represented by the WHCA board. We urge you to take steps now to ensure that a protective pool is put in place."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason, who is also the president of the WHCA, told The Huffington Post that Clinton and Trump's situation is "not normal and it is unacceptable." Sen. John McCain and Gov. Mitt Romney both had protective pools as soon as they had finished the Republican conventions, by comparison.
In their letter to Trump, the WHCA board additionally expressed concerns that Trump's campaign is "lagging behind the level of press access provided by its Democratic counterpart." It has been 89 days since Trump last held a press conference.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
What Nick Fuentes and the Groypers wantThe Explainer White supremacism has a new face in the US: a clean-cut 27-year-old with a vast social media following
-
5 highly amusing cartoons about rising health insurance premiumsCartoon Artists take on the ACA, Christmas road hazards, and more
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
