The White House briefing room was formerly a swimming pool.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 95%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
The claim that the briefing room was formerly a swimming pool is supported by official White House archives: the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room replaced a Roosevelt-era indoor pool, which lies beneath it. The sources differ on the pool's construction year (1933, 1934, or 1939), a peripheral detail that does not affect the core claim.
What was said
… So that's what you're doing. Okay, so, ah, I see, now he wants to get rid of the press pool in the White House and make it into an actual swimming pool. Did you see that? I have seen it. Yes, I have seen it. Look, it was a swimming pool at one time. In fact, if you go in the stairs underneath where the briefing room is, you can actually see the tile from where the pool used to be, so he just maybe wants to restore it to all of its glory. I don't know if he'll do it, but he can. This is the one thing that people get mad at me not one thing, they get mad at me many things. Thank you. I don't give a shit about any of this. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Obama White House archives state that the Briefing Room, constructed in 1970 under Nixon, replaced a swimming pool installed in 1934 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's physical therapy.[2]
Supports. The George W. Bush White House archives state that Nixon built the press briefing room above the old pool, which was built inside the west terrace.[3]
Supports. Town & Country reports that the original White House pool lies under the James C. Brady Press Briefing Room and was disused after Nixon converted the space.[4]
Context. Reuters reports that Trump denied a New York Times report that he planned to remove the press room and restore the pool, which concerns a future plan rather than the room's past use.[1]
Context. Several outlets report that the pool's construction date varies between 1933, 1934, and 1939 across sources, a minor discrepancy that does not affect the central claim.[2][3][5][6]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 primary, 3 not rated
- 1Trump says he may move White House press corpsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2James S. Brady Press Briefing Room - Obama White House Archivesobamawhitehouse.archives.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 3Press Briefing Roomgeorgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 4The Fascinating History of the White House Press Roomtownandcountrymag.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Trump floats reverting White House press room to ...washingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 6Trump Denies White House Press Room Swimming Pool Plannewsweek.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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