Trump Proposes Relocating White House Press Corps

The White House press corps has operated from the West Wing for decades, a setup that President Donald Trump now considers subject to change. On Friday, the president posted on Truth Social that he might move the group of reporters covering the administration to a new site.

Trump specifically described the potential new venue as a less obnoxious location. In the same post, he rejected previous media accounts that suggested he planned to dismantle the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to uncover a hidden swimming pool. He labeled those reports Fake News and wrote that he never considered such a stupid thing.

The debate over the pool stems from a 1970s modification during the Richard Nixon administration. Nixon ordered a floor built over a pool that had been installed in 1933 for Franklin D. Roosevelt. The structure remains beneath the current briefing room floor. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump had discussed moving the journalists out of the room with former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. That conversation took place before Leavitt departed her post on August 27.

Leavitt addressed the matter on Friday during an interview on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. She stated that Trump was flirting with the idea of restoring the pool to its full glory. She added that she did not know if he would follow through on the project.

The proposal arrives amid ongoing friction between the administration and the press. In September, Trump barred reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from the White House. A federal judge later ruled the ban likely unconstitutional, forcing the White House to restore access while the administration continues to contest the decision. On Tuesday, Trump also clashed with Andrew Feinberg, a correspondent for The Independent, during an Oval Office event. Trump questioned Feinberg’s health, asking if he was a sick person.

Any modification to the briefing room would join other changes made to the property since Trump returned to office. The administration has demolished the East Wing to construct a ballroom, installed concrete pavers in the Rose Garden, and built a helipad on the South Lawn. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the potential relocation.