Trump threatens to move White House press corps to 'less obnoxious' spot

Dozens of journalists who cover the executive branch may soon find themselves uprooted from their long-standing posts in the White House complex. President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that he could relocate the press corps to a different site, potentially one removed from the executive residence itself. He described the potential new home for the media as a 'less obnoxious location' in a post on Truth Social.

The comments come as the administration navigates a period of heightened tension with the reporters who monitor its daily activities. Trump used the same post to directly address circulating reports about the future of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. He dismissed the idea that he intended to remove the room entirely in order to restore a historic swimming pool located beneath it. Calling those accounts 'Fake News', he wrote emphatically that he had never even considered doing 'such a stupid thing'.

However, the president did not rule out the possibility of a move. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump had pitched the idea of moving journalists out of the current briefing room to his former press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. According to that report, the proposal did not advance during Leavitt's tenure, which concluded on August 27. The potential relocation adds a new layer to the ongoing friction between the White House and the media.

The swimming pool at the center of this debate has a significant historical pedigree. It was built in 1933 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who suffered from polio and used the pool to ease soreness. In the 1970s, former President Richard Nixon had a floor constructed over the water to create space for a briefing room as the press corps grew. The pool remains intact beneath that floor today. The New York Times reported that Trump told aides he wanted to bring the feature back into use.

Leavitt provided further context in an interview on HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' on Friday. She described the president's interest as 'flirting' with the restoration of the pool. She noted that he 'maybe, wants to restore it to all of its glory', though she admitted uncertainty about whether he would ultimately follow through with the project. Her remarks offer a glimpse into the internal deliberations regarding the physical layout of the West Wing.

These developments arrive amid a series of confrontations between Trump and the media. Last month, the administration barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from the White House. Free speech proponents argued that this move violated First Amendment protections. A US federal judge subsequently ruled the order was likely unconstitutional, forcing the White House to restore the journalists' access. The administration continues to fight that legal ruling.

The president has also engaged in more direct criticism of specific reporters. At an Oval Office event on Tuesday, he lashed out at Andrew Feinberg, a White House correspondent for The Independent, as Feinberg attempted to ask a question. Trump asked, 'What's wrong with you? Are you a sick person? I actually think there's something wrong with you'. The White House amplified the moment by sharing it on its social media channels.

Any change to the briefing room would join a long list of controversial physical alterations to the White House property since Trump returned to power last year. The administration has demolished the East Wing to build a new ballroom, laid concrete pavers over the lawn at the center of the Rose Garden, and constructed a helipad on the South Lawn. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the potential relocation of the press corps.