Trump considers moving press corps out of White House briefing room

President Donald Trump is considering relocating the White House press corps from its longtime briefing room to free up space for other administrative uses. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump stated he was thinking about moving reporters to a different location, describing the space as "very badly needed" for the White House. This announcement followed a day in which he suggested the press could be moved to a "less obnoxious location."

The president's comments directly addressed reports that circulated regarding the potential conversion of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room into an indoor swimming pool. Trump explicitly denied this claim, writing, "I am not building a swimming pool in the White House Briefing Room, and never had any intention of doing so." He reiterated this denial in a separate Truth Social post published Saturday, where he characterized the swimming pool reports as "Fake News" and called the idea "such a stupid thing." Trump maintained that while he may move the press, the old swimming pool will never be brought back.

The controversy began after The New York Times reported on October 20 that Trump had discussed replacing the briefing room with an indoor swimming pool. When Fox News Digital sought additional comment on the president's Sunday remarks, the White House referred reporters to his Truth Social posts.

The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room was constructed above an existing indoor swimming pool to accommodate the growing demand for television news during the administration of President Richard M. Nixon. That original pool opened on June 2, 1933, following a fundraising campaign by The New York Daily News. The funds were raised to provide a swimming facility for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had polio and used therapy pools at his Hyde Park home and a rehabilitation center in Warm Springs, Georgia, according to the White House Historical Association.

Trump's potential relocation of the press corps is part of a broader set of renovations and changes he has undertaken at the White House. During a rally in Florida last Friday, Trump touted these ongoing renovations, stating his administration is "building some beautiful things." He previously paid personally to install two massive 88-foot-tall American flags at the White House in July.

Democratic Party leaders and left-leaning media personalities have criticized various renovations on Pennsylvania Avenue, most notably in October 2025 when ground was broken for a new White House ballroom.