The streaming channel Real America Voice on Tuesday shared video of the presidential motorcade, a move former White House Press Association president Weijia Jiang explained is big no-no.
"NYPD is going ALL OUT to protect President Trump as he travels through NYC tonight, on his way back to DC. THANK YOU, NYPD," cheered conservative Nick Sortor, sharing video from the parade of vehicles carrying the president. "And thank you [Real America Voice] for showing us RAW footage of how difficult it is to keep President Trump safe."
Sortor doesn't work directly for Real America Voice as a White House correspondent, but is a frequent guest and contributor or featured personality.
As CBS' Jiang explained, the members of the White House Correspondents' Association "are advised not to air any video of taillights because it is a potential risk to the security of the motorcade."
Reporters in the pool drive with the president in the parade of cars that follows him.
Monday, Jiang explained to a far-right commentator that the streaming channel may have the ability to film things going on with the president, but it doesn't have the ability to "POOL" coverage. When they get video, they're using it for themselves, not as part of a pool. The pool means that various outlets work together to share video because "in spaces like the Oval [Office] there’s not enough room for every outlet, which is what makes the pool necessary to ensure everyone (including RAV) has the footage."
Several conservatives have claimed that the pool isn't necessary because anyone with a cell phone camera could do the job. Newsmax inadvertently revealed what that looks like when it attempted to cover a Trump photo-opp at the White House on Monday. That video had no audio attached.
As CNN explained, "The pool has evolved over time, adding different types of media organizations to accommodate shifts in how Americans consume news. But the mission has largely remained the same: to bear witness in person to the president’s words and actions, ask questions when possible and share that information and imagery with colleagues at other outlets, and by extension the public."
When Trump returned to office in 2025, his press office enacted changes to how the press pool would work. Wire services that once had permanent slots in the pool, including Reuters and the Associated Press, were no longer given daily access but were allowed to continue on a rotating basis.
A wire service isn't like a single newspaper or single site. It supplies reporting to other news organizations like local newspapers, magazines, digital outlets and local television stations.
