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U.S. President Donald Trump is reported to have told former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on several occasions to move journalists out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room and out of the White House building itself, according to a New York Times report citing three people familiar with the matter.

Leavitt, who left the post on 27 August, did not carry out the request. Trump wants to restore the briefing room to its former state as an indoor swimming pool, and advisers have previously opposed relocating the press corps to the nearby Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Request made during Oval Office talks

The New York Times reported, based on three sources familiar with the matter, that Trump asked during one of his Oval Office conversations with Leavitt in August that journalists be moved outside the White House building. Leavitt, who left her position on 27 August, did not act on the request, which Trump is said to have repeated on several occasions.

Trump wants the briefing room converted back to the indoor swimming pool that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had built in 1933 to treat legs affected by polio. The press briefing room was created by filling in that pool.

Trump has also considered moving the press corps to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, but advisers have opposed the idea before because of logistical difficulties and political consequences.

Earlier proposals met resistance

The proposal also surfaced during Trump's first term. It was championed by then chief strategist Stephen Bannon during the 2016 presidential transition, but senior officials objected and the plan was shelved. The idea came up again during White House renovations in 2017 and during the 2024 transition.

As Trump's reaction to some media reports grew stronger, some advisers backed tougher measures against the press. Since last autumn, the White House administration has barred journalists from entering the "Upper Press" area beside the press secretary's office without an appointment.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a statement that the American people do not trust the media because of "stories based on lies and uninformed sources," adding: "All options are on the table. We will make an announcement at the appropriate time."

In two photographs Trump posted on social media on 27 September, one showed the current press room with the words "Fake News" underneath. A photo of the old pool version was labeled "Franklin D. Roosevelt Pool."

Crowded conditions in the briefing room

The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, created by filling in the old indoor pool, is now poorly suited to journalists' needs. The room where press conferences are held has 49 seats allocated to media organizations, while roughly 1,000 journalists hold White House press accreditation, which makes the shortage of space clear.

During briefings, reporters wait for hours standing in a very cramped area. Desks where they can set up laptops and work are reserved for a limited number of media organizations, and there is no lounge or social space for journalists.

Despite these conditions, reporters do not want to work from a building outside the White House. They believe being physically removed from the building would restrict their reporting reflexes and their access to information. White House correspondents also fear that if they are pushed out under Trump, future presidents may keep the arrangement in place.

A similar idea under Clinton

Converting the White House press room back into a swimming pool was also discussed during the presidency of Bill Clinton.

According to the memoirs of George Stephanopoulos, Clinton's first communications director, who took office in 1993, Hillary Clinton wanted the press area returned to use as a swimming pool. The plan was dropped after it leaked to the media and drew a backlash.

Key takeaways

• Trump reportedly told Karoline Leavitt several times to move journalists out of the White House briefing room.
• Leavitt, who left the post on 27 August, did not carry out the request.
• Trump wants the room restored to the Franklin D. Roosevelt indoor pool that was filled in to create it.
• White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said "all options are on the table."