The Trump administration's latest efforts to curb leaks to the press are preventing White House reporters from gaining access to the inner offices of senior West Wing communications officials to protect national security secrets.
A memo released to reporters Friday night, addressed by the National Security Council (NSC) to President Donald Trump's White House communications director Steven Cheng and press secretary Caroline Leavitt, said reporters should no longer be free to enter their offices, known as the “Upper Press,” located in Room 140, just a few feet from the Oval Office.
Due to recent “structural changes,” the memo said, White House public affairs staff also began leading communications with the National Security Council. The Upper Press's isolation policy thereby ensures the security of confidential materials, the memo states.
Reporters can continue to communicate with more junior press aides outside the White House briefing room, the memo added. (RELATED: 'Watching Mike Tyson Fight with a Baby': Democrats Reportedly Can't Stop Laughing at KJP's Stump Over Her Book)
Chung said in a Friday post on X that reporters were caught eavesdropping on meetings with senior members of the Trump administration at Upper Press. Some reporters also allegedly made secret recordings of these meetings and took photographs of confidential documents.
“Cabinet secretaries regularly come to our office for private meetings but are ambushed by reporters waiting outside our doors,” he said.
Some reporters have been caught secretly recording video and audio of our offices, as well as photographs of sensitive information without permission.
Some reporters wandered into restricted areas (our offices are feet from the Oval Office).
Some reporters were caught… https://t.co/tosUqrcKGt
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) October 31, 2025
We caught reporters listening @PressSecdoor while she held delicate conversations with members of the cabinet.
We had to chase reporters who started to enter restricted areas towards the Oval.
Complete lack of boundaries. https://t.co/LgWTWI9Wiz
— Anna Kelly (@AnnaKelly47) November 1, 2025
The White House Correspondents' Association said in a statement Friday that it “unequivocally opposes” the move and that the press secretary's office has long been open to news gathering.
“The new restrictions prevent the press from questioning officials, promoting transparency and holding the government accountable, to the detriment of the American public,” WHCA President and CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang said in a statement.
Statement on new restrictions on journalists at the White House. pic.twitter.com/rE7F4Ou1hh
— WHCA (@whca) October 31, 2025
Blocked journalists' access to the Upper Press in 1993, reversing 20 years of precedent, according to former President Bill Clinton's communications director George Stephanopoulos. press clipscausing a public spat with the press. Clinton reversed the policy shortly thereafter in an attempt to improve media coverage of his activities. (RELATED: 'Did She Just Leave?': Accused Democrat Refuses Interview When Confronted with Video of Herself Obstructing ICE)
When Mark Gearan replaced Stephanopoulos as Clinton's communications director, Stephanopoulos wrote to his successor in a note: “Mark, I can only give you one piece of advice: open the hallway!” according to USA Today report, 1993.
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