Trump considers moving White House press corps

Trump weighs a press corps move

President Donald Trump is considering relocating the White House press corps and repurposing the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, Fox News reported. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that the current room could provide needed space for another White House use.

Trump did not identify a possible new workspace for reporters or explain what would occupy the briefing room. The White House directed questions about the idea back to his social media post.

Trump rejects pool report

Trump denied that he intends to remove the briefing room to restore the indoor swimming pool below it. His comments followed an Oct. 20 New York Times report that he had discussed replacing the room with a pool.

The pool opened in 1933 after a fundraising campaign for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used swimming as therapy after contracting polio. During President Richard Nixon’s administration, the briefing room was built above the pool to accommodate growing television news operations.

Other White House changes

Trump has publicly highlighted other changes to the White House grounds. At a Florida rally, he said his administration was constructing new features, and he personally paid for two 88-foot flagpoles installed in July.

Any press-room relocation would require decisions about where briefings and reporters’ daily work would take place. Trump has not said when he will decide whether to proceed.