Trump Suggests Converting White House Press Room Into Indoor Pool

President Trump on Sunday suggested converting the White House's James S. Brady Press Briefing Room into an indoor swimming pool, a space that originally served that purpose under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The suggestion was made via a post on Truth Social, which included before-and-after images depicting the press briefing room transformed into a gold-adorned swimming pool.

This idea comes as the president continues to engage in disputes with various media outlets. Trump's administration had previously moved to ban reporters from CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House grounds. However, on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to restore access for these three outlets for at least two weeks while litigation proceeds.

The original indoor pool was built in 1933 during Roosevelt's presidency as he was managing polio. Several subsequent presidents, including Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson, are known to have utilized the pool. Former President Richard Nixon later had flooring installed over the pool to create the briefing room, which was eventually named after James Brady, a former White House press secretary who was injured during an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

The structural elements of the original pool are still present beneath the current briefing room. The White House does maintain an outdoor swimming pool, built by former President Gerald Ford.

Trump has undertaken various renovation projects during his tenure, including work on the Palm Room, colonnade, and North Portico. He has also promoted a significant ballroom project and recently unveiled a new granite helipad on the South Lawn. The president has also pursued other aesthetic projects in Washington, D.C., such as restoring fountains, gold-plating statues near the Lincoln Memorial, and renovating the Reflecting Pool.

When asked previously about renovating the press briefing room, Trump expressed disinterest, stating, “I don’t want to do that. I don’t want you to be comfortable. No, I don’t want to make life comfortable.”