Trump Administration Weighs Relocating White House Press Corps Workspace
If enacted, the move would represent a structural shift in the physical access journalists have maintained inside the White House for decades, with implications for daily government accountability...
Outside allies of President Donald Trump have recently advocated for relocating the White House press corps from its current workspace inside the West Wing to a separate building, according to CBS News, which reported the proposal on October 21, 2026. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is among those who have pushed the idea, according to a source cited in the CBS News report.
The White House press briefing room and the adjacent workspace used by credentialed correspondents are located in the West Wing, built atop what was once an indoor swimming pool. The current configuration gives reporters physical proximity to senior staff and the ability to request on-the-record comment with relative ease. Relocating the press corps to a separate building would increase the physical distance between journalists and the officials they cover.
The CBS News report does not specify which building or location has been proposed as an alternative site, nor does it identify the timeline under which a decision might be made. Those details are not yet part of any public record.
Presidential authority over White House facilities falls under the jurisdiction of the Executive Office of the President and the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate. Any formal relocation would likely involve GSA coordination, though no GSA action has been publicly filed or announced as of October 21, 2026.
The White House Correspondents' Association, which represents credentialed journalists covering the presidency, has historically negotiated access arrangements with successive administrations. The WHCA has not issued a public statement responding to this proposal as of the publication of this article.
The Trump administration's relationship with the press corps has been a recurring subject of policy discussion. In his first term, President Trump held fewer formal press conferences than several of his predecessors, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which tracks presidential communications dating to 1929. The data shows variation across administrations in the frequency of formal press interactions.
During the Biden administration, the press briefing room was used for near-daily on-camera briefings by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The current administration's briefing schedule and the identity of the current press secretary are matters of public record through White House transcripts and video archives.
The proposal, as reported, originates from outside advisers rather than from a formal White House policy document, executive order, or budget request. No legislation would be required to move the press workspace, as the decision would fall within executive branch discretion over its own facilities.
What remains unknown is whether President Trump himself has directed staff to evaluate the proposal, whether any formal cost or logistical assessment has been conducted, and whether the General Services Administration has received any instruction to study alternative sites. A GSA facilities request, internal White House memorandum, or official statement from the press secretary's office would be the public records most likely to confirm or clarify the administration's intentions.
The CBS News report attributed its sourcing to a single unnamed source and did not include comment from a named White House official. The Congressional Times has not independently verified the claim through a separate source.