Trump Hints to Moving Press ‘To a Less Obnoxious Location’
Sandra Rhodes · Oct 24, 2026 · 1 min read
President Donald Trump has denied reports he was considering replacing the White House press briefing room with an indoor swimming pool.
But the president added he was considering moving media “to a less obnoxious location.”
On Tuesday, The New York Times reported Trump told aides he would like to bring back an indoor pool installed in 1933 when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. The pool was later covered under former President Richard Nixon to make space for the briefing room.
“There is a Fake News report out there that I am going to remove the White House Press Room and bring back the old Swimming Pool, which lies directly underneath,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday.
“Although I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location, the old swimming pool will never be brought back,” he added. “I NEVER even thought to do such a stupid thing!”
Trump and his administration have increasingly sought to restrict press access throughout his second term.
This week, the White House stripped The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg of his print press pool duties. This barred him from traveling with the president after Trump lashed out at the reporter in the Oval Office.
White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) President Jacqui Heinrich accused the White House of acting in “retaliation.”
“The American public’s right to an independent press depends on reporters being able to do their jobs without fear that challenging the president will cut off their access,” Heinrich said in a statement.