White House briefing room gets a makeover: ‘Smells like a new car in here’

It’s “Extreme Makeover: White House Press Briefing Room Edition,” with the famed media workspace getting a fresh new look.

“Somebody on my staff said it smells like a new car in here. And they were not wrong,” Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre exclaimed to journalists gathered Monday inside the James S. Brady Briefing Room.

“You guys look amazing in the new chairs in here, in this refurbished press briefing room,” Jean-Pierre added.

Some of the refreshes for the press area at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. included new blue seats and carpeting, the replacement of storage cabinets and desks, the installation of soundproofing in the booth used by the press corps and a fresh coat of cool, gray-white paint. 

The revamp was completed over the weekend ahead of Monday’s press briefing.

Kelly O’Donnell, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), called the facelift a “once in a generation refresh” that was “sorely needed after many years of wear and tear” in a statement to ITK.

“The Briefing Room is a vital example of the First Amendment in a lively real-world setting. The condition of that space should reflect and respect the historical importance of the White House. Journalists on the job at the White House each day appreciate the long-awaited update of their shared workstations in what has long been a crowded and tight space,” O’Donnell said.

Jean-Pierre gave a shoutout “to everyone who moved heaven and Earth” to “really get this done as quickly as possible.”

“If you saw what this place looked like on Saturday, you’d be shocked,” Jean-Pierre said, praising construction workers, crews, the WHCA leadership and the General Services Administration.

“This was a big undertaking, and the room looks amazing,” she said.

The press briefing room, authorized by President Nixon and famously installed over a swimming pool built for President Franklin Roosevelt, “has been the on-grounds quarters for the White House correspondents and news photographers since its construction in 1969-70,” according to the White House Historical Association. 

The space was “entirely gutted and reconstructed” in 2006.

Alex Gangitano contributed. Updated at 6:32 p.m.