President Donald Trump said Saturday morning that he might move the White House press area, while denying reports that he was considering replacing the briefing room with an indoor swimming pool.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump had told aides he wanted to restore a pool installed in 1933 during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. It was covered under President Richard Nixon to make room for the briefing room. In a Truth Social post, Trump said the pool beneath the press room would never be brought back.
The comments followed a White House decision this week to remove The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg from print press pool duties, preventing him from traveling with Trump after an Oval Office confrontation. White House Correspondents’ Association President Jacqui Heinrich accused the administration of retaliation.
A White House spokesperson defended the decision, saying journalists have no constitutional right to access the Oval Office, Air Force One or other sensitive facilities.