Trump responds to press room rumor with talk of a 'less obnoxious location'
NEW: President Trump SHUTS DOWN any rumor of RIPPING up the White House Press Briefing Room and turning it back into FDR’s swimming pool. Trump wrote on Truth Social: “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. Although I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location, the old swimming pool will never be brought back. I NEVER even thought to do such a stupid thing! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) October 24, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has responded to reports on his alleged plan to convert the White House press room into a swimming pool, dismissing the claims as rumors and "fake news."
During a Friday appearance on HBO's 'Real Time With Bill Maher', the host asked former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: "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?"
She said that Trump is "flirting" with the idea of turning the White House press briefing room into a pool.
The pool was installed at the White House for Franklin D Roosevelt but later covered over by Richard Nixon to make room for the press corps.
Trump rebukes swimming pool rumors about press room
Trump responded to the reports in a Truth Social post on Saturday, October 24.
While Trump dismissed the report that he plans to remove the White House press room and bring back the old swimming pool, he indicated that he may have other plans for the press corps.
“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.
“Although I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location, the old swimming pool will never be brought back,” the president added, describing the plan to bring back the swimming pool as “such a stupid thing.”
The report about the possible move first appeared in The New York Times this week. Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan reported that the president has repeatedly suggested making the change.
Trump presented the idea to Karoline Leavitt as her 'last legacy'
The outlet, citing three sources, reported that President Trump had presented the idea to Karoline Leavitt as her “last legacy.”
The story came in the wake of the fiasco and legal battle that emerged after Trump abruptly banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
According to the NY Times report, Trump told Leavitt to permanently remove journalists from the White House’s James S Brady Press Briefing Room.
Haberman and Swan’s sources said that the president had pressed her to do so over a period of months, but the media remained in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room.
