Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced Sunday that transition officials with President-elect Donald Trump are open to moving the White House press room from the White House, but the move isn’t as far as members of the media appear to believe.
White House chief of staff Reince Priebus appeared to confirm the move during an interview on ABC Sunday morning. Priebus asserted that the standard press room only seats 49 journalists, and the proposed new location in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building seats up to 150 people. The move would still be in the White House complex, and the location would only be moved 200 feet, according to Google maps.
Trump could move the White House press room 200 feet to the west
The White House Correspondent’s Association plans to fight the proposed change, asserting that the move illustrates Trump’s aggressive stance against the media. “We object strenuously to any move that would shield the president and his advisers from the scrutiny of an on-site White House press corps,” WHCA President Jeff Mason said in a statement.
“The briefing room is open now to all reporters who request access,” he said. “We support that and always will. The WHCA will fight to keep the briefing room and West Wing access to senior administration officials open.”
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