President Donald Trump confirmed he is considering relocating the White House press corps from the historic James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to free up badly needed space. Trump denied reports suggesting he plans to tear down the briefing room to restore a 1933 indoor therapy pool, calling the rumor fake news. The proposed move follows heightened friction between the administration and news outlets, including recent press access bans that federal judges ruled likely unconstitutional under First Amendment protections.
Trump's proposal to move the press corps
- ▪President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social on October 25, 2026, that relocating the White House press corps from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room would free up badly needed White House space
- ▪The New York Times reported on October 20, 2026, that President Donald Trump previously urged then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in August 2026 to move journalists out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
Reports on restoring the White House swimming pool
- ▪President Donald Trump labeled reports that he intends to restore the historic underground swimming pool beneath the press briefing room as fake news, denying any plan to bring it back
- ▪Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in an October 2026 interview that President Donald Trump was flirting with the idea of restoring the historic indoor swimming pool installed in 1933 under Franklin D. Roosevelt
Debate over White House press access rights
- ▪A White House spokesperson stated that journalists do not possess a constitutional right to access the Oval Office, Air Force One, or other sensitive facilities
- ▪White House Correspondents' Association President Jacqui Heinrich accused the White House of acting in retaliation against Andrew Feinberg by revoking his press pool credentials and restricting journalist access
Ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters
- ▪A U.S. federal judge issued an order, ruling that the Trump administration's ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters was likely unconstitutional
- ▪The Trump administration prohibited journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House grounds in September 2026
Restrictions on the Associated Press
- ▪President Donald Trump barred the Associated Press from the White House in February 2025 after the outlet declined to alter its geographic terminology regarding the Gulf of Mexico
- ▪A federal judge ordered the White House to lift press restrictions on the Associated Press in April 2025
History of the White House press room
- ▪Former President Richard Nixon constructed a floor over the White House indoor swimming pool in 1970 to create a press briefing room
- ▪An indoor therapy swimming pool was installed in the White House in 1933 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt
- ▪The White House press room was officially named the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on February 11, 2000, honoring the former press secretary injured during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan
Story comments
Loading comments…