The White House is creating a new rule for press coverage in small places like the Oval Office and Air Force One. They also said that press secretary Karoline Leavitt will make the final decision about which reporters can ask her boss questions, according to people who have seen the plan.

The White House remained unresponsive to inquiries for comment late Tuesday.

A federal judge recently determined that the White House had improperly retaliated against the Associated Press for its refusal to rename the Gulf of Mexico, specifically by denying its journalists access to cover events. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden mandated that the administration afford the AP the same treatment as other news organizations.

Following a day of disregarding McFadden's decree and maintaining the AP's prohibition during the meeting between Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office, the White House disseminated a new directive to certain journalists.

For many years, the White House Correspondents Association has managed the pool for restricted space events, consistently including journalists from the wire services AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg, along with one print reporter selected on a rotating basis from over 30 news organisations.

The White House has announced that it will group the three wire services with print reporters for two positions. This means that about 36 reporters will take turns using these two regular spots.

Despite the rotation, the White House stated that Trump's press secretary would maintain daily authority in determining the pool's makeup, and the new policy stipulates that reporters will be admitted regardless of an outlet's underlying perspective.

In a statement, the AP's Lauren Easton expressed profound disappointment that the White House, instead of reinstating the AP's access, opted to impose restrictions on all wire services.

"Wire services collectively represent countless news outlets throughout both the United States and globally," explained Easton, a spokesperson for the AP. "Our reporting is a vital resource for local newspapers and television channels in every state, enabling them to keep their communities well-informed.

Easton said on Tuesday night that the administration's actions continue to ignore the basic American freedom to speak without the government controlling or punishing people.

The independent White House Correspondents' Association said the government's decision to keep control over who reports on the president shows they are not willing to promise they will stop treating reporters unfairly based on their opinions.

Eugene Daniels, the association's president, said the government should not be allowed to control the independent media that reports on it.

Under Leavitt's direction, the White House has increased access for news organisations favourable to Trump, a shift evident on Tuesday when the initial reporter Leavitt called upon at a briefing posed two questions while simultaneously commending Trump's policies.

During a meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump reacted with irritation to questions from CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins regarding a man deported to a prison in El Salvador, at one juncture alleging that CNN harbored animosity towards the nation. He deliberately highlighted the difference between her pointed inquiries and a less challenging one posed by another journalist.

Even with some disagreements, Trump has allowed the media to access him more easily than the president before him, former President Joe Biden. He especially likes to talk in small places, like the Oval Office, which makes the new rule about access much more important.

The new rule started on Tuesday didn't talk about photographers being able to get in. Before this, at a court meeting about the AP's situation, their main White House photographer and a writer explained how the ban has harmed their news company, which is set up to quickly give news and pictures to people who use their service.

The argument started because AP chose not to follow the president's order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico. However, AP's style guide does mention that Trump wanted it to be called the Gulf of America. McFadden agreed with AP's point that the government cannot punish the news group for what it says, which is their right to speak freely.

The White House said that journalists being able to see the president is a special favor, not something they have a right to, and that the White House should decide who gets this access. They said this is like how the White House chooses who Trump talks to alone. In court papers from last weekend, his lawyers showed that even after McFadden's decision, the AP would no longer have easy access to public presidential events.

"No other American news organisation enjoys the same degree of assured access previously granted to the AP," the administration contended. "While the AP may have become accustomed to its privileged position, the Constitution does not mandate its indefinite continuation."

The administration has challenged McFadden's verdict and is set to appear before an appeals court on Thursday to contend that the ruling should be suspended until the substantive aspects of the case are completely determined, possibly by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The administration has not limited the Associated Press's access to Leavitt's briefings for the past two months. However, it had stopped AP reporters with White House passes from going to events in the East Room until Tuesday. On Tuesday, one reporter was allowed to attend an event with the Navy football team.