White House Press Briefings Now Require Fan-Club Membership Card
Reporters must recite a loyalty pledge and receive a commemorative lanyard before the podium will acknowledge their raised hands.
The James S. Brady Briefing Room has been quietly refitted with a merchandise table, a laminating machine, and a velvet rope, administration staff confirmed, ahead of the new press secretary's first appearance before the White House press corps.
Under the revised format, reporters seeking to ask a question must first complete a short induction that includes reciting a loyalty pledge, selecting a commemorative lanyard color, and waiting through a highlight reel before the floor opens for questions.
"We came together as one press pool, divided," said a staffer overseeing the lanyard table, before excusing themselves to restock pledge cards for the afternoon session.
Reporters who decline to complete the induction are reportedly still permitted in the room, but are seated in a section without a working microphone and are referred to collectively from the podium as "the guests."
The administration has not said whether the induction will be a one-time requirement or renewed each quarter, though early drafts of the pledge reportedly include a line about never missing a rerun.