Donald Trump says the White House press corps might be moved out of its longtime home—while flatly denying any plan to turn the room into a pool.
What Trump said
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, President Donald Trump wrote: “I am not building a swimming pool in the White House Briefing Room, and never had any intention of doing so. I am thinking about moving the Press, and putting them in a different location, but I will use that location for very badly needed space.” Fox News reported the post and said the White House referred questions to it.
In a separate post on Saturday, Trump added: “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. Although I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location, the old swimming pool will never be brought back.”
The report he’s denying
Fox News said Trump’s comments followed an Oct. 20 New York Times report that he had discussed replacing the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room with an indoor swimming pool. Trump publicly rejected that scenario in his weekend posts.
What we don’t know yet
Trump has not announced a timeline, a new location for reporters, or specific plans for the space beyond calling it “very badly needed.” Fox News reported that when asked for additional comment, the White House pointed back to Trump’s Sunday post.
Why this room matters
Fox News noted the White House’s indoor swimming pool opened on June 2, 1933, after a New York Daily News fundraising campaign for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had polio and swam for therapy. The current briefing room sits above the site of that historic pool.
