Trump bars AP, Reuters and Bloomberg from Air Force One during Mideast trip

Reporters from major news services were barred from traveling aboard Air Force One for President Trump’s high-stakes trip through the Middle East — an unprecedented move that was slammed by the White House Correspondents’ Association.The exclusion of the Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg marks the first time in modern history that no wire service reporters traveled with the president on an overseas visit.The WHCA called the move “a disservice to every American who deserves to know what their highest elected leader is up to, as quickly as possible.”“The White House pool was created to be representative of the different types of media outlets that serve different readers,” the WHCA said in a statement.“Leaving out the wires is a disservice to Americans who need news about their president, especially on foreign trips where anything could happen and the consequences can impact the entire world.”There were members from other news outlets aboard Air Force One, including Fox News host Sean Hannity, who filmed a social media video touting it as “a huge news day” while listing Trump’s stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Fox News shares common ownership with The Post.The ban of wire service reporters followed a standoff between the Trump administration and the AP after the outlet refused to adopt the White House’s preferred name “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico.A federal judge later ordered the AP’s access restored, but instead of complying, the White House eliminated the wire pool seat entirely.The WHCA urged the White House to reverse course.“The WHCA is disturbed by this new restriction on who can cover this White House and continued retaliation for independent editorial decisions,” the organization said in a statement.“The WHCA is advocating for the wire service journalists to return to their seats on Air Force One where they have reliably covered every president for decades, not for us but for the ...