Staggering Number Of Influencers, Independent Media Have Applied For White House Access

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that a staggering number of influencers, podcasters, and independent media have applied for White House press access after inviting new media to the briefing room.

During the White House press briefing on Friday, Leavitt said that “after announcing our briefing room changes on Wednesday, this White House has received more than 10,000 submissions from individuals across the country who are eager to join all of you.”

“We might have to make this room a little bit bigger to do that, who want to participate in our new media seat at a future briefing,” she added, before she revealed that the open seat on Friday was given to one of the members of the “Ruthless” podcast.

Earlier this week, the White House announced that it would be making room for “new media” in the press room, allowing nontraditional, news-related content producers to directly question the press secretary and other administration officials, as previously reported. The Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan noted first that in the 24 hours following the announcement, approximately 7,400 applications came in.

Leavitt, who called on the press to focus on sharing the truth about President Donald Trump’s administration, gave her first press briefing on Tuesday, during which she announced a “new media seat” for nontraditional media, as well as a link for bloggers, podcasters, social media influencers, and others to apply to for White House press access.

“We welcome independent journalists, podcasters, social media influencers, and content creators to apply for credentials to cover this White House,” the press secretary said.

“The Trump White House will speak to all media outlets and personalities, not just the legacy media who are seated in this room, because according to recent polling from Gallup, Americans’ trust in mass media has fallen to a record low,” she added.

“Millions of Americans, especially young people, have turned from traditional television outlets and newspapers to consume their news from podcasts, blogs, social media, and other independent outlets,” Leavitt continued. “It’s essential to our team that we share President Trump’s message everywhere and adapt this White House to the new media landscape in 2025.”

One of those new media members in the briefing room is The Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan, who was recently named The Daily Wire’s first White House Correspondent.

On Thursday, Trump answered a question from Olohan about the increased importance of getting his nominees quickly confirmed after a helicopter collided midair with a passenger jet in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.

Mary Margaret Olohan contributed to this piece.

Related: ‘We Will Call You Out’: Karoline Leavitt Issues Warning To Reporters At WH Press Briefing