President Donald Trump is reportedly considering physically relocating journalists from the White House briefing room — to make way for a swimming pool, according to a New York Times investigation published Tuesday, October 20.
According to the newspaper, Trump has repeatedly asked his former press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, to move reporters out of the “Press briefing room.” The proposal would restore a swimming pool that once occupied the space, a configuration the president is said to favor.
A Long-Standing Idea
The concept is not new. It was first floated after Trump took office in 2017, when former adviser Steve Bannon proposed moving journalists out of the West Wing on “national security” grounds. The idea was ultimately abandoned as too complicated to implement.
This time, however, the proposal appears to have gained traction among the president’s inner circle. On September 27, Trump shared a montage on Truth Social contrasting the current press room — labeled “fake news” — with a luxurious, gold-trimmed swimming pool.
The pool itself is not a novelty: it was installed in 1933 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and later covered during the Nixon administration to make room for journalists. According to the New York Times, Trump wants to return to that earlier layout, with media potentially relocated to a building across the street.
Restricting Access, Rewarding Allies
For decades, the permanent presence of journalists inside the White House has allowed them to follow the activities of the administration up close. Removing them would mark a new symbolic shift, as Trump increasingly restricts access to certain outlets.
- The Associated Press had its White House access cut in February 2025 after refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
- In September, the administration revoked the credentials of more than 70 journalists after announcing the exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and Politico, accused by the president of spreading “fake news.” A federal judge has since ordered their reinstatement.
- At the same time, the White House has given more space to pro-MAGA podcasters and influencers since the start of Trump’s second term.
No relocation has been announced so far. But questioned by the New York Times, the Trump administration said that “all options are on the table.”
