Donald Trump Urged Karoline Leavitt to Permanently Ban Journalists From Press Briefing Room in Private Conversation About His 'Legacy': Report

In a recently revealed private Oval Office conversation, President Donald Trump reportedly made a shocking "last legacy" pitch to his then-White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, urging her to permanently banish journalists from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

According to a report citing three individuals familiar with the discussion, the exchange took place in front of a group of top administration aides just days before Leavitt officially left her post.

Trump explicitly told Leavitt to permanently evict the press corps from the iconic White House briefing room.

“Mr. Trump has told aides he would prefer to bring back the indoor pool President Franklin D. Roosevelt added in 1933 as therapy for his polio-afflicted legs; President Richard Nixon later covered it over to make room for the news media. Journalists who are credentialed to cover the White House work out of a small office space connected to the press briefing room,” wrote Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, the authors of the explosive Trump exposé, Regime Change.

The conversation occurred in late August, shortly before Leavitt stepped down from her official role to spend more time with her family.

Insiders claimed Trump framed this sweeping order to strip media access as a definitive "last legacy" move for his administration's handling of the press corps.

In September, Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, citing critical coverage. A federal judge blocked the ban and ordered full access restored, ruling the administration likely violated the outlets' First Amendment and due process rights.

Continuing on his pursuit against the free press, The New York Times reported that Trump has more plans to push them out.

“Trump has brought up the press-eviction idea before, dating to his first term, and he has never quite dropped it,” the NYT noted. “A growing number of people around him favor the idea. Several close to him believe that moving the news media, most likely to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across the street, may be the latest escalation in a remarkable series of moves against the news media that have already gone further than most of them expected.”

Leavitt, who served as White House Press Secretary from January 2025 until late August 2026, did not execute her boss’ alleged directive before she left.

Trump publicly praised her service upon her exit, calling her one of the best press secretaries in history, and she continues to serve as a top outside advisor to his political circle.

In response to the Times’ latest report, Steven Cheung, the contentious White House communications director, said, “America is rightly distrustful of the fake news media because they fabricate stories based on lies and sources who are not even privy to any type of information. All options remain on the table, and we will make an announcement when appropriate."

The White House Press Secretary position remains vacant as Leavitt's replacement, Katie Zacharia, was out after an ignominious five-day stint.