Trump hints at moving White House press room ‘to less obnoxious location’

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he may move the White House press corps to a different location, but dismissed the swirling rumours that he planned to restore a historic indoor swimming pool in place of the current press briefing room.

In a post on social media, Trump denied having considered removing the James S Brady Press Briefing Room to bring back the pool, saying he had never “even thought to do such a stupid thing”. However, he suggested that journalists could be moved elsewhere, writing: “I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location.”

The remarks follows reports, according to which said Trump had repeatedly discussed the possibility of removing journalists from the White House briefing room and restoring the indoor swimming pool. The reports given by news outlets such as NYT, said Trump had raised the idea with then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a meeting in August. The plan was not implemented.

According to the report, Trump has told aides that he would prefer to bring back the pool, which was installed during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration in 1933. Roosevelt, who had polio, used the pool for therapeutic exercise. In 1970, President Richard Nixon’s administration covered the pool and converted the space into a press briefing room as the number of White House journalists grew.

The swimming pool speculation also gained attention after Trump posted a side-by-side image on Truth Social in September comparing the existing briefing room with a proposed pool, accompanied by the caption “Fake News Before, FDR Pool After”. The New York Times’ subsequent reporting brought renewed attention to the possibility of relocating the press corps and repurposing the room.

Meanwhile, Trump, with regards to his worling relations with the media, has frequently accused US news organisations of unfair coverage of his administration. Last month, his administration briefly barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds, prompting concerns over press freedom. A federal judge subsequently ordered their access restored, finding that the restrictions were likely unconstitutional. The Trump administration is continuing to contest the case.