Trump Wants to Kick Journalists Out of the White House, According to The New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of evicting media representatives from the White House. According to journalists, the U.S. leader has repeatedly suggested this idea to former press secretary Caroline Levitt and has also considered restoring the swimming pool that once existed at the presidential residence.
According to the publication, in late August, during one of his most recent meetings with Caroline Levitt in the Oval Office, Donald Trump voiced his proposal in the presence of several high-ranking officials.
The president suggested that she remove journalists from the James Brady Press Briefing Room, which would effectively mean relocating news organizations outside the White House. Trump called this move Livitt’s potential “final legacy” as press secretary.
According to three sources who spoke with the publication, the president repeatedly returned to this proposal over the course of several months. However, during Levitt’s tenure at the White House, the plan was never further developed.
On August 27, Caroline Levitt stepped down as press secretary to take maternity leave.
Separately, Donald Trump told his aides about his desire to restore the indoor swimming pool that President Franklin Roosevelt had built in the White House in 1933. It was used, in particular, for therapeutic treatments after Roosevelt contracted polio.
Later, President Richard Nixon covered the pool to make room for members of the media.
The idea of restoring the pool may be linked to Trump’s intention to change the current arrangement for journalists at the presidential residence.
The New York Times notes that, at first glance, moving journalists out of the White House may seem like a minor administrative decision. However, given Trump’s repeated attacks on the press, this move would carry significant symbolic weight.
The proximity of journalists to the seat of the U.S. executive branch has traditionally been viewed as a recognition of the importance of a free press to constitutional democracy.
Furthermore, such a decision could have long-term consequences, as it would be difficult for future presidents to restore the previous arrangement for journalists if they are relocated outside the White House.
According to the publication, Trump raised the issue of evicting the media as early as his first presidential term. Now, according to sources interviewed by journalists, an increasing number of people in his inner circle support this idea.
Some members of the president’s inner circle believe that relocating journalists to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located across the street from the White House, could be another step in putting pressure on the media.
Back on September 27, Donald Trump posted two images on social media featuring the White House press briefing room.
The first showed the room as it currently appears, with the caption “Fake News.” The second depicted the room as a gilded swimming pool with the inscription “FDR Pool.”
These posts once again drew attention to the president’s plans for the space currently used by journalists.
According to The New York Times, Donald Trump is considering moving media representatives outside the White House, and his inner circle is increasingly discussing the idea. However, there is currently no confirmation that a decision to evict journalists has already been made.
This was reported by The New York Times.
As a reminder, Katie Zakaria, who replaced Caroline Levitt as press secretary to U.S. President Donald Trump, held her first briefing at the White House. The briefing lasted only 14 minutes and was marked by an embarrassing incident involving her husband and the U.S. president.
Former White House press secretary Katie Zakaria found herself at the center of a scandal after a photo was published from the Oval Office showing documents on the president’s desk. Among them was a controversial plan to renovate a golf course, the existence of which Trump had denied.
