Donald Trump has proposed that journalists be kicked out of the White House and the James S. Brady Briefing Room be turned back into an indoor swimming pool. The idea was discussed with then-press secretary Caroline Levitt during an Oval Office meeting in August, The New York Times reported.
According to three sources familiar with the discussions, Trump has presented the possible change as Levitt's "final legacy." The president has repeated the suggestion in other conversations with her before she left office in August. The plan was not implemented during her tenure.
The proposal calls for journalists working at the White House to be moved out of the complex while the room used for daily briefings is restored as a swimming pool. There has been no announced deadline for such a decision, nor confirmation that construction or preparatory work has begun.
The White House does not reject the idea
White House communications director Stephen Chung did not deny the information. “America rightly does not trust fake news because they invent stories based on lies and sources that do not have information. All options are on the table and we will make an announcement when appropriate“, Chung told The New York Times.
The White House thus left open the question of whether Trump will actually make a change or use the idea as part of his ongoing conflict with traditional media. In recent months, the administration has restricted some media access to presidential events, and court rulings have led to the reinstatement of press credentials for journalists.
The room was built over an old swimming pool
The indoor pool was built for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who suffered from the effects of polio. Later, under President Richard Nixon, the facility was covered to create space for the expanding White House press corps.
Since then, the “James S. Brady“ room has become one of the main public appearances of American presidents and press secretaries. Returning it to its original purpose would interrupt more than five decades of daily briefings in the space.
Sources: nytimes.com, thewrap.com, apnews.com