Full Breakdown
Trump Considers Relocating White House Press Corps
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On October 24, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he may move the White House press corps from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to “a less obnoxious location.” In the same post he dismissed media reports that he intended to replace the briefing room with the historic indoor swimming pool that once occupied the space, calling the claim “Fake News.” The president did not provide details about a new location.
Background & Context
The briefing room sits above an indoor pool installed during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration for therapeutic swimming. The Nixon administration later built the press briefing floor over the pool to accommodate a growing media presence. Former press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the pool’s tile remains visible beneath the current room.
Timeline
- August 27 (occurred): Karoline Leavitt’s tenure as White House press secretary ended.
- October 24 (occurred): President Trump announced on Truth Social that he may relocate the press corps and rejected the pool-restoration rumor.
Data & Statistics
- The proposal to move journalists was reported by *The New York Times* and referenced in multiple outlets.
- The pool beneath the briefing room dates to the early 1930s, while the briefing room itself was created in the 1970s.
Official Statements & Responses
President Trump’s social-media posts emphasized that he never intended to rebuild the pool and that any relocation would serve “very badly needed space.” Leavitt confirmed she had heard the president “flirting” with the idea of restoring the pool but said she did not know whether it would happen.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I am not building a swimming pool in the White House Briefing Room, and never had any intention of doing so,” — Donald Trump, president
- “There is a Fake News report out there that I am going to remove the White House Press Room and bring back the old Swimming Pool, which lies directly underneath,” — Donald Trump, president
- “I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location,” — Donald Trump, president
- “Look, it was a swimming pool at one time. In fact, if you go down the stairs, underneath where the briefing room is, you can actually see the tile from where the pool used to be,” — Karoline Leavitt, urged then-press secretary
- “America is rightly distrustful of the fake news media because they fabricate stories based off lies and sources who are not even privy to any type of information,” — Steven Cheung, communications director
What's Next
The White House has indicated that decisions about the press corps’ location are still under consideration, with no specific timeline disclosed. The administration’s ongoing litigation over previous press-ban orders suggests that any relocation plan could face legal scrutiny.
