Trump says he may move White House press corps to new location

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed he could move the White House press corps to a different location, possibly away from the executive residence.

Key points

• The latest incident was during an Oval Office event on Tuesday when Trump attacked The Independent's White House Correspondent Andrew Feinberg.
• The Times documented Trump informed aides he wanted to bring back a West Wing indoor pool constructed in 1933 for employ by President Franklin D Roosevelt.
• In the 1970s, former President Richard Nixon had a floor constructed above the pool to accommodate a briefing room for the growing White House press corps.
• "He just, maybe, wants to restore it to all of its glory", Leavitt remarked during an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher".
• The White House did not immediately return Al Jazeera's request for comment.

In a social media post on Friday, Trump described reports that he planned to remove the White House press briefing room in favour of restoring a historic swimming pool located underneath as "Fake News".

"I NEVER even thought to do such a stupid thing!" he wrote in a Truth Social post.

Trump, nevertheless, indicated he may relocate dozens of reporters who cover the White House "to a less obnoxious location".

For context, the New York Times on Tuesday documented that Trump had pitched his former press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on an idea to move journalists out of the White House's storied James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. That proposal did not move forward during Leavitt's tenure. It concluded on August 27.

Trump's remarks come against the backdrop of a fractious moment between him and the journalists who cover him.

Last month, Trump banned journalists from three US-based media outlets – CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO – from the White House, a move that proponents of free speech remarked violated First Amendment protections.

For context, a US federal judge ruled that the order was probable unconstitutional, forcing the White House to restore the journalists' access. The Trump administration continues to fight the ruling.

Trump has additionally regularly chided and denigrated members of the media he claims cover him unfairly.

Meanwhile, the latest incident was during an Oval Office event on Tuesday when Trump attacked The Independent's White House Correspondent Andrew Feinberg.

"What's wrong with you? Are you a sick person? I actually think there's something wrong with you", Trump remarked as Feinberg tried to ask a question. The moment was amplified by the White House on social media.

If Trump opts to proceed with changes to the White House press briefing room, it would be the latest in a long list of controversial projects he has ordered that would transform the property.

Since returning to power last year, the US president has demolished the White House East Wing to construct a new ballroom, installed concrete pavers over the lawn centred in the White House Rose Garden and built a helipad on the South Lawn.

Notably, the Times documented Trump informed aides he wanted to bring back a West Wing indoor pool constructed in 1933 for employ by President Franklin D Roosevelt. This person suffered from polio and often swam, according to his presidential library, to ease soreness.

In the 1970s, former President Richard Nixon had a floor constructed above the pool to accommodate a briefing room for the growing White House press corps. The pool remains beneath the floor of the briefing room.

Leavitt confirmed during a Friday interview that Trump was "flirting" with the idea of restoring the pool.

"He just, maybe, wants to restore it to all of its glory", Leavitt remarked during an appearance on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher". "I don't know if he'll do it."

Notably, the White House did not immediately return Al Jazeera's request for comment.

In short, trump says he may move White House press corps to new location is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.