Scoop: Conservative radio hosts invited to broadcast from Pentagon
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The Pentagon's chief spokesperson Sean Parnell has invited radio hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton to broadcast their show from the Pentagon, sources confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: The Trump administration has moved quickly to establish new norms within press briefing rooms.
- The Defense Department informed NPR, the New York Times, NBC News and Politico that they had to move out of their workspaces at the Correspondents' Corridor in the Pentagon last month. It later added CNN, the Washington Post, The Hill and The War Zone to that list.
- Their space will be made available to a slew of mostly conservative outlets on rotation, such as the New York Post, One America News Network and Breitbart News. Bari Weiss' startup The Free Press and HuffPost will also be given space as part of the rotation.
Yes, but: Reporters from the organizations that were removed will still be members of the Pentagon press corps.
Zoom in: In an interview on Travis and Sexton's podcast earlier this month, Parnell teased the invitation, saying, "You all are welcome anytime in the Pentagon press room, or if you want to broadcast from the Pentagon, we will figure out a way to make that."
- Later in their show, Travis said, "There's a good chance we'll be at the Pentagon. I think there's a good chance we'll be at the White House."
- In a separate interview with press secretary Karoline Leavitt that day, Leavitt told Travis and Sexton, "We love what you're doing and hopefully we'll see you soon in the briefing room someday. You're always welcome."
- The Defense Department said, "We have nothing to announce today" and advised Axios to check www.defense.gov for the department's daily and weekly schedule.
Catch up quick: Travis and Sexton replaced the late Rush Limbaugh's radio show on Premiere Networks in 2021.
- The three-hour talk show, which is broadcast across hundreds of radio stations nationwide, holds weight within the Trump administration.
- On the show last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to suggest that Arab countries need to create a plan to combat Hamas.
- In addition to the radio show, Travis runs a sports media website he founded called Outkick, which has gained influence in the Trump era. Sexton is a political commentator and podcaster.
Zoom out: The Trump administration has applied extra scrutiny to the media in its early days, including ending federal news spending on Politico subscriptions and launching FCC inquiries into Comcast, NBC, CBS, PBS and NPR.
- Most recently, the White House said it would ban AP from Oval Office events and Air Force One. The White House targeted AP in protest of what aides see as years of liberal word choices that the wire service's influential stylebook spread across mainstream media, Axios' Marc Caputo reported.
- In her interview with Travis and Sexton, Leavitt said, "We've opened up this briefing room to new media members. We have really proven that this president is the most transparent and accessible president ever."
