Washington (USA), Oct. 21 (LaPresse) – Donald Trump wants to move journalists away from the White House and has floated the idea of replacing the press briefing room with a swimming pool. The New York Times reports that, at the end of August, during one of the last meetings between then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt and the president in the Oval Office, the tycoon proposed the idea in the presence of several senior aides. Trump asked her to move journalists out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, a decision that would effectively distance news organizations from the White House. According to the president, this would be his “final legacy.” The proposal, however, did not move forward while Leavitt was still in office. According to three people familiar with the discussions, the president had made the request several times over the course of several months. Trump told his aides that he would prefer to restore the indoor swimming pool that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had built in 1933 as part of his therapy for the effects of polio. President Richard Nixon later had it covered over to create space for the media. Journalists accredited to cover White House activities work in a small office connected to the press briefing room. Although moving the media away from the White House may seem like a relatively minor issue, given Trump’s broader attacks on journalists, it would be a gesture with strong symbolic significance. The presence of the media close to the center of US executive power, the New York Times notes, has long represented recognition of the importance of press freedom in a constitutional democracy. It would also be a decision that would be difficult for subsequent presidents to reverse. The White House swimming pool was built on the West Terrace in the 1930s and later covered over to make room for the press briefing room. Trump had already floated the idea of moving the press away from the White House during his first term and has never entirely abandoned it. A growing number of people close to the president, the New York Times reports, are said to support the proposal.
US, NYT: “Trump wants to replace White House press briefing room with swimming pool”
Washington (USA), Oct. 21 (LaPresse) – Donald Trump wants to move journalists away from the White House and has floated the idea of replacing the press briefing room with a swimming pool. The New York Times reports that, at the end of August, during one of the last meetings between then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt and the president in the Oval Office, the tycoon proposed the idea in the presence of several senior aides. Trump asked her to move journalists out of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, a decision that would effectively distance news organizations from the White House. According to the president, this would be his “final legacy.” The proposal, however, did not move forward while Leavitt was still in office. According to three people familiar with the discussions, the president had made the request several times over the course of several months. Trump told his aides that he would prefer to restore the indoor swimming pool that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had built in 1933 as part of his therapy for the effects of polio. President Richard Nixon later had it covered over to create space for the media. Journalists accredited to cover White House activities work in a small office connected to the press briefing room. Although moving the media away from the White House may seem like a relatively minor issue, given Trump’s broader attacks on journalists, it would be a gesture with strong symbolic significance. The presence of the media close to the center of US executive power, the New York Times notes, has long represented recognition of the importance of press freedom in a constitutional democracy. It would also be a decision that would be difficult for subsequent presidents to reverse. The White House swimming pool was built on the West Terrace in the 1930s and later covered over to make room for the press briefing room. Trump had already floated the idea of moving the press away from the White House during his first term and has never entirely abandoned it. A growing number of people close to the president, the New York Times reports, are said to support the proposal.