Not true. The White House Press Association determines who gets credentials and who do not. Now, I don’t know if it has to be this way, but that is the way it has been handled for decades.
There's a new sheriff in town. Unless the press passes are given out in accordance with a statute passed by Congress, the "traditional" way of getting a press pass is nothing more than an outdated establishment rule that Trump can revoke at any time. Further he can instruct the Secret Service to prohibit anyone he wants from getting within spitting distance of the White House fence.