A Washington-based journalist was removed from the traveling press pool for Air Force One after clashing with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during an Oval Office event.
Andrew Feinberg, White House correspondent for The Independent, was scheduled to join the rotating 13-member print pool on Thursday for a flight to Sioux City, Iowa, where the president was slated to hold a campaign rally ahead of midterm elections. Feinberg had confirmed his spot earlier in the week through email correspondence with a White House aide and a subsequent in-person check at the complex.
However, hours after visiting the White House on Wednesday, Feinberg received an unsigned email from the press office notifying him that he had been pulled from the trip without an official explanation. The removal followed an Oval Office event on Tuesday during which the administration unveiled a tip line offering bounties of up to $30,000 for exposing government fraud.
During that event, Trump and Vice President Vance expressed irritation when Feinberg questioned the necessity of the program. As Feinberg continued to raise his hand and attempt to ask follow-up questions from his position directly in line with the Resolute desk, the president grew increasingly agitated. Trump called him a “sick person” and stated that he believed “there’s something wrong with you.”
Following the exchange, the administration’s rapid response operation and Vice President Vance targeted the reporter on social media and through official government channels. The administration’s messaging operation used a derogatory slur against individuals with developmental disabilities, while Vance labeled the correspondent an “imbecile” on his official government X account.
When Feinberg requested an explanation for his removal from the Thursday travel pool, the White House did not respond. The management of the press pool rotation was previously taken over by the White House press office from the White House Correspondents Association, a move enacted after a court decision blocked an attempt to ban the Associated Press from the Oval Office.
Critics of the administration’s current media access policies note that the press office frequently populates question-and-answer sessions with representatives from ideologically driven outlets focused more on supporting the administration than traditional reporting. Feinberg noted that while reporters frequently talk over each other during presidential questioning—a dynamic present across multiple administrations—the actions taken against him reflect an effort to shield the president from persistent follow-up inquiries.
