Leavitt confirms Trump is ‘flirting’ with turning White House press briefing room into swimming pool

WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday, October 23, said that President Donald Trump has been considering turning the James S Brady Press Briefing Room into an indoor swimming pool, confirming reports that the president has discussed the idea. 

Appearing on HBO’s 'Real Time with Bill Maher', Leavitt said she did not know whether the proposal would proceed but acknowledged that Trump had been “flirting” with it. The idea would involve restoring a pool that once occupied the space before it was covered to accommodate the White House press corps.

Karoline Leavitt confirms Trump has discussed restoring former White House pool

During the interview, host Bill Maher asked Leavitt about reports that Trump wanted to remove the press briefing room and replace it with a swimming pool.

“So, I see now he wants to get rid of the press pool in the White House and make it into an actual swimming pool,” Maher asked. “Did you see that?”

“Yes, I have seen it,” Leavitt responded. “Look, it was a swimming pool at one time. In fact, if you go down the stairs, underneath where the briefing room is, you can actually see the tile from where the pool used to be.”

The former press secretary then added, “So, he just maybe wants to restore it to all of its glory. I don't know if he'll do it, but he's been flirting with (the idea).”

The New York Times first reported that Trump had raised the possibility of converting the briefing room into a swimming pool on multiple occasions.

According to the report, the presdient discussed moving journalists out of the room with Leavitt during an Oval Office meeting in August, suggesting the project could become her “last legacy.” Three sources familiar with the discussions reportedly said that he raised the idea on other occasions before Leavitt left the administration on August 27.

The pool was installed during former President Franklin D Roosevelt’s administration. It was later covered during Richard Nixon’s presidency to create space for press briefings.

Trump also posted images on Truth Social in September comparing the existing briefing room, labeled “Fake News,” with a proposed swimming pool decorated in gold.

White House leaves proposal open amid tensions with press

The White House has not ruled out the possibility of converting the briefing room. Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to the reports by saying that the administration was considering its options.

“America is rightly distrustful of the fake news media because they fabricate stories based off lies and sources who are not even privy to any type of information,” Cheung said in a statement. “All options remain on the table, and we will make an announcement when appropriate.”

The report also said Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte had prepared a visual mock-up of the proposed pool, despite not having an official role overseeing White House facilities.

The discussions surface as tensions between Trump administration and media have escalated this year. In September, the administration also restricted access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, before a federal judge ordered their access restored, finding that the restrictions violated their First Amendment rights.