Conservative commentator and CNN contributor Scott Jennings has made waves with his candid take on the evolving dynamics between the White House and the press corps, as highlighted in an article titled "Despondent Correspondents: Scott Jennings Lays Out Hard Facts for the Depressed Press," published on Twitchy on February 25, 2025. The piece centers on a significant shift in White House press access policy under the incoming Trump administration, announced by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. This change removes the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) from its longstanding role in determining media access, giving the White House itself the authority to decide which outlets get a seat at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Jennings, appearing on a CNN panel, addressed the resulting outrage from legacy media and the WHCA, who were, as the article puts it, "freaking out" over losing their gatekeeping power. He argued that the reaction was overblown, pointing to data to support his case. He noted that in the first months of Donald Trump’s previous administration, the president took 1,009 questions from the press—hardly the behavior of a dictator shutting out journalists. For comparison, he cited Joe Biden’s first months, where the figure was a mere 141 questions, suggesting Trump was far more engaged with the media than his successor. Jennings also reminded the panel that in 2023, the Biden administration revoked press passes for 442 journalists, a move that drew a muted response from the WHCA at the time, undermining their current claims of a transparency crisis.
🚨NEW: Scott Jennings lays out the facts as CNN panel seethes over WH press access reforms:
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 26, 2025
“In the first months of the Trump administration, the president took 1009 questions, hardly dictatorial behavior. Same stat for Joe Biden, 141."
"And I would remind you all that in 2023,… pic.twitter.com/cbQwPGrPqy
The Twitchy article frames Jennings as a voice of reason cutting through the media’s self-pity, emphasizing his point that the Trump administration’s approach could actually broaden access by sidelining the WHCA’s "unelected journalistic oligarchs" and opening the door to "hundreds of outsider media outlets." This perspective aligns with sentiments expressed in posts on X, where users praised Jennings for dismantling the narrative of a press under siege, with some calling out the WHCA’s reaction as the tantrum of a "spoiled child."
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