President Trump posted a new idea on Truth Social Sunday. Converting the White House press briefing room into an indoor swimming pool was his suggestion. The images showed the room transformed with gold trim. This spot was originally a pool for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was built in 1933 to help him battle polio.
Richard Nixon later covered the water with a floor. That space became the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. The pool structure still sits underneath the floor today. A renovation spree has characterized the president's second term. A new granite helipad on the South Lawn was recently unveiled by him.
Trump also talked about covering statues in 23K gold near the Lincoln Memorial. He has long touted a $400 million ballroom project. But this new idea targets the reporters directly. It comes as he pushes to ban certain news outlets from the grounds.
The media feud is heating up. Trump wants to ban reporters from CNN, MS Now, and Politico. US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the White House to stop that ban on Thursday. The judge said the outlets must get access back for at least two weeks. This ruling happened while the legal fight plays out. Trump's previous move caused a big problem for TV news. The five major networks in the pool temporarily stopped their work. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC all paused their participation. Earlier last week, this caused snarls while capturing video of Trump. Several past presidents used the old indoor pool frequently. Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson all swam there. Gerald Ford built the outdoor pool that exists today. The indoor pool has been dry for decades.
Trump has been clear about making the press comfortable. He told a reporter last year he had no interest in fixing the briefing room. He said, "I don't want to do that." He added, according to the New York Post, "I don't want you to be comfortable." He made his point even sharper in that same moment. "No, I don't want to make life comfortable," he quipped, according to the New York Post. The post on Sunday matches that old stance. It suggests a gilded pool instead of a place for questions.
The White House has seen many changes recently. The Palm Room, colonnade, and North Portico have been remodeled. This new visual of a gold pool fits that pattern. It shows a distinct preference for his own style over tradition. The judge's order gives the banned outlets a short reprieve. They have two weeks to work inside the White House grounds. The litigation continues beyond that date. The major TV networks are watching closely. Trump's post on Truth Social was the main event this Sunday. It taunted the press with the idea of a swimming pool. The images were clear and bold. The president is not hiding his feelings about the media.
He wants to keep things uncomfortable for the reporters. That was his message last year, and it stands today. The gold pool is just the latest way to say it.
