Trump Floats Moving Reporters Out of Briefing Room

President Donald Trump said on Friday he might move the White House press corps to another spot, though he denied plans to tear up the briefing room floor. Writing on Truth Social, Trump rejected reports that he wants to remove the briefing room to bring back a historic swimming pool underneath it, calling the accounts "Fake News" and adding, "I NEVER even thought to do such a stupid thing!" He did say reporters who cover the White House could be sent "to a less obnoxious location".

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump had floated the idea of relocating journalists out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room to his former press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. That proposal did not move forward during her tenure, which ended August 27. Leavitt said in a Friday interview that Trump is "flirting" with restoring the pool, telling HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" that he "maybe, wants to restore it to all of its glory" and adding, "I don't know if he'll do it."

The pool was built in 1933 in the West Wing for President Franklin D Roosevelt, who had polio and swam to ease soreness, according to his presidential library. In the 1970s, President Richard Nixon had a floor built over the pool to create a briefing room for a growing press corps, and the water still sits below that floor. The Times reported Trump told aides he wants to bring it back.

The comments come as tensions run between Trump and the reporters covering him. Last month he barred journalists from CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from the White House. Free speech proponents said the move violated First Amendment protections, and a US federal judge ruled the order was likely unconstitutional, which forced the White House to restore the journalists' access. The administration continues to fight that ruling. At an Oval Office event on Tuesday, Trump addressed Andrew Feinberg, The Independent's White House correspondent, as Feinberg tried to ask a question: "What's wrong with you? Are you a sick person? I actually think there's something wrong with you", Trump said. The White House amplified the moment on social media.

Any change to the briefing room would join a list of projects that have altered the White House grounds since Trump returned to power last year. He has demolished the East Wing to build a new ballroom, covered the lawn at the centre of the Rose Garden with concrete pavers, and built a helipad on the South Lawn. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has not set a date for any move, and Leavitt said she does not know whether he will restore the pool.