White House TV press pool resumes coverage after CNN, Politico,

So the reporters are back in the room. For two weeks, anyway. A Trump-appointed judge ordered the administration to reinstate press passes for CNN, Politico, and MS Now, and the White House complied. That part shouldn't surprise anyone. The administration was always going to follow a court order. But the coverage framing it as a victory for press freedom is doing a lot of heavy lifting. This wasn't about freedom. It was about a seating chart.

Trump didn't ban these outlets for asking tough questions. He banned them for years of openly contemptuous coverage. CNN and Politico have turned every briefing into a moral indictment. MS Now is cable television at its most unhinged. When the White House finally says enough, they cry censorship. But access to the West Wing is a privilege, not a right. No one is stopping these outlets from publishing. They just lost the front-row seat. The judge gave it back for now. Fine. But this order is narrow and temporary.

The real question is what happens in two weeks. These outlets will almost certainly slide back into the same bad habit of treating the president as the story, not a participant in government. The White House should use this time to make the press pool less of a club. Instead of the same Beltway names holding all the seats, let independent and conservative outlets rotate in. That would actually improve the coverage. It would also send a message: the old guard doesn't own the briefing room.

For now, the cameras are rolling again. Don't expect thank-you notes. But don't mistake this for a change of heart. If legacy media wants back in for good, they should try covering this White House like reporters, not prosecutors. We won't hold our breath.