Trump wants to replace White House press briefing room with swimming pool - NYT
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly proposed removing journalists from the White House press briefing room and restoring an indoor swimming pool in its place, The New York Times reported on Oct. 20, citing people familiar with the discussions.
During one of his final meetings with then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in August, Trump urged her to relocate reporters from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, calling the move her "last legacy."
According to three people familiar with the discussions, Trump had raised the proposal several times over the preceding months. Leavitt left her position on Aug. 27 without implementing it.
Trump wants to restore the swimming pool installed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 for therapy related to his polio. President Richard Nixon later covered the pool to create space for White House journalists.
On Sept. 27, Trump posted images on Truth Social comparing the existing briefing room, labeled "Fake News," with a gold-colored swimming pool labeled "FDR Pool," according to the Times.
The newspaper reported that Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, had presented Trump with a rendering of the proposed pool, despite having no formal responsibility for White House facilities.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said "all options remain on the table" and that an announcement would be made when appropriate.
The proposal comes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the news media.
In September, the White House revoked the credentials of more than 70 journalists after Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as false.
A federal judge subsequently ruled that the administration had violated the outlets' First Amendment rights and ordered their press passes restored. The White House is appealing the ruling.
The Times reported that some Trump advisers fear relocating the press corps, potentially to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across the street, would further escalate the administration's confrontation with journalists.