USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Donald Trump Orders Karoline Leavitt To Remove White House Press Corps For Swimming Pool
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Trump discussed evicting the White House press corps from the James Brady Press Briefing Room. He proposed replacing the briefing room with an indoor swimming pool.
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“a federal judge , finding the ban likely violated the First Amendment and the news outlets' right to due process.”
The Telegraph“Donald Trump wants to turn the White House press briefing room into a swimming pool and kick reporters out of the West Wing.”
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Brady Room to Pool
President Donald Trump discussed replacing the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room with an indoor swimming pool, a move that would also remove the White House press corps from the building.
Steven Cheung told The New York Times, "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."
Trump told Karoline Leavitt to remove reporters from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, which would effectively remove news organizations from the White House.
Trump presented the idea to Leavitt during one of their later meetings in the Oval Office, and he described it as her "last legacy."
No Final Decision Yet
Two people close to the president said President Trump discussed moving the White House press corps to another building, and no final decisions had been made. Steven Cheung said in a statement, "All options remain on the table, and we will make an announcement when appropriate."
Steve Bannon told The New York Times that he believed it was a "national security threat to have the press literally surround the Oval Office." Bannon said his plan would move reporters either off campus, next to Blair House, or to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and he said, "But definitely physically remove them from the West Wing."
Symbolic Shift and Stakes
Moving journalists from the White House would be highly symbolic because the proximity of the media to the seat of U.S. executive power has long been an acknowledgment of the importance of a free press in a constitutional democracy. The decision would be difficult to undo by future presidents, because journalists work out of a small office space connected to the press briefing room.
Trump pitched the idea to Leavitt in late August during one of her final meetings with him in the Oval Office, and the proposal never moved forward while she was there. A growing number of people around Trump favor the idea, and moving the news media, most likely to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across the street, may be the latest escalation in moves against the news media.