Trump proposes shifting White House press corps to new site
The president suggested moving reporters away from the West Wing while dismissing reports that he plans to uncover a submerged 1933 swimming pool.
By Sofia Ramirez ·
President Donald Trump indicated on Friday that he may move the White House press corps to a different location.
In a post on Truth Social, the president stated that the dozens of journalists covering the administration could be relocated to a less obnoxious location. He used the platform to reject recent media reports suggesting he intends to eliminate the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to restore a historic swimming pool beneath it. Trump called those accounts Fake News and wrote that he never thought to do such a stupid thing.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump discussed moving journalists out of the briefing room with former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. According to that report, the idea did not move forward during Leavitt's tenure, which concluded on August 27. Leavitt appeared on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday and said Trump is flirting with restoring the pool. She noted that he maybe wants to restore it to all of its glory, but added that she does not know if he will do it.
The submerged pool was constructed in 1933 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used swimming to manage pain from polio. In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon ordered a floor built over the pool to create space for a briefing room. The pool remains beneath that floor today. The New York Times reported that Trump told aides he wanted to bring the pool back into use.
These comments follow a period of friction between the administration and the media. In September, Trump barred reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from the White House. A federal judge ruled the order likely unconstitutional, forcing the White House to restore access, though the administration is challenging that ruling. On Tuesday, Trump criticized Andrew Feinberg, a correspondent for The Independent, during an Oval Office event. Trump asked Feinberg what was wrong with him and if he was a sick person, a moment the White House shared on social media.
Any changes to the briefing room would join other alterations to the White House property since Trump returned to power last year. The administration has demolished the East Wing to construct a new ballroom, installed concrete pavers in the Rose Garden, and built a helipad on the South Lawn. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the potential relocation.
Source: Al Jazeera
