Trump hints at moving press corps from West Wing

President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that the White House press corps might relocate to a site he described as less obnoxious. He made the comments in a post on Truth Social, where he also addressed speculation about the future of the main briefing room.

The president pushed back against reports that he planned to remove the briefing room to restore a historic swimming pool located beneath it. He called those accounts Fake News and wrote that he never thought to do such a stupid thing. However, he indicated that the dozens of reporters covering the White House could move to a different location.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump had pitched the idea of moving journalists to former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. According to the report, the plan did not move forward during her tenure, which ended on August 27. Leavitt said in a Friday interview that Trump was flirting with restoring the pool. She noted on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher that he maybe wants to restore it to all of its glory, but added that she did not know if he would do it.

The swimming pool was built in 1933 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had polio and swam to ease soreness. In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon built a floor over the pool to create space for a briefing room. The pool remains beneath that floor today.

These remarks come during a strained period between the administration and the media. Last month, Trump barred journalists from CNN, MSNBC, and POLITICO from the White House. A federal judge ruled the order likely unconstitutional, forcing the White House to restore access. The administration continues to contest that ruling. At a Tuesday event in the Oval Office, Trump also criticized Andrew Feinberg, a correspondent for The Independent, telling him what is wrong with you and asking if he is a sick person.

Any changes to the briefing room would join other modifications to the White House property since Trump returned to power last year. He has demolished the East Wing to build a new ballroom, installed concrete pavers over the Rose Garden lawn, and constructed a helipad on the South Lawn. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.