The Trump White House hosted its first official influencer briefing on Monday, April 28. The event marked a shift from traditional media engagement to include modern digital creators. The briefing, typically limited to credentialed journalists, opened its doors to content creators, political commentators and social media personalities.
Expanding beyond legacy media
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt led the event. The move reflects the administration’s ongoing effort to engage audiences on platforms where many Americans now consume news, such as Instagram, TikTok and X.
“It’s a shift from relying solely on legacy media outlets,” Leavitt said, reiterating that the Trump administration has aimed to speak to “all media outlets and personalities” since taking office.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
Tension with traditional outlets
Despite welcoming new voices, the administration has maintained a tense relationship with some legacy media –– most notably the Associated Press.
The AP was recently barred from major events after it refused to adopt President Donald Trump’s directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gulf of America.” Even after a federal court ordered that access be restored, restrictions remained.
Earlier this year, Leavitt announced that a new front-row seat in the briefing room –– normally held for press secretary staff –– would be reassigned to nontraditional media outlets.
New voices in the briefing room
Among the invited guests was Arynne Wexler, who identifies as “just a nonlib girl in a crazylib world.”
Many comments and questions throughout the event, including Wexler’s, focused on hot-button issues such as transgender policy, immigration and tax cuts.
“I can attest to the deportations in Florida,” Wexler said. “My Uber drivers finally speak English again, so thank you for that.”
Critics noted that many of the questions skewed positive toward the Trump administration, with few offering direct challenges to Leavitt’s responses.
Former Trump press secretary-turned Substack author Sean Spicer defended the broader media engagement strategy. “A lot of conservatives ask me, ‘Why does [Trump] sit down with people like Terry Moran of ABC or Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic?’” Spicer said. “What is the rationale behind rewarding people who have very vehemently expressed disdain for him personally?”
Leavitt responded with, “because the president is unafraid.”
A new approach to messaging
One attendee, Kambree Nelson, is an ambassador with the conservative America First Policy Institute. She asked Leavitt for direction on how to best cover White House communications.
“I’m not the headline news girl,” she said. “I’m the nuts-and-bolts, policy-type nerd. So what direction do you advise me to go into?”
Leavitt praised the question, saying, “I wish there were people in the legacy media that were like you and didn’t focus on the sensationalist headlines but actually cared about the facts.”
She added that Trump is doing “many phenomenal things every day” that don’t get covered by news outlets, and emphasized the administration’s intent to share those updates directly.
“Which is, again, why we’re welcoming independent voices like yours with followings on social media,” Leavitt said.
Leavitt closed the event with a round of applause and a thank-you to attendees. While it remains unclear how often these influencer briefings will occur, the event signals a shift in media strategy, and one focused on building relationships outside the traditional press corps.
