White House Archives

The Trump family’s next venture, a mobile phone company

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family company says it’s launching a mobile phone company, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Donald Trump is in the White House. Eric Trump, one of President Trump’s sons, said Monday that the new company would build its own phones and maintain a call center in the U.S. The new business follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April, and a $1.5 billion partnership to build golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in Vietnam.… Continue Reading

It’s the final holiday stretch at the Biden White House. The theme is ‘A Season of Peace and Light’

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the final holiday stretch at the White House for President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, and the theme is “A Season of Peace and Light.” The first lady is set to unveil the decorations and deliver a holiday message at the White House on Monday. More than 300 volunteers spent the past week decorating the executive mansion and its 83 Christmas trees with nearly 10,000 feet of ribbon, more than 28,000 ornaments, over 2,200 paper doves and some 165,000 lights.… Continue Reading

Trump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s transition says several of his Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and “swatting attacks.” The FBI said it was investigating. Transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said several Cabinet nominees and administration appointees were targeted Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Among them were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump’s pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations, and Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Leavitt said the people targeted were the subject of violent, un-American threats to their lives and those who live with them.… Continue Reading

Trump transition team suggests sidelining top adviser over pay-to-play allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top lawyer on Donald Trump’s transition team has investigated a longtime adviser to the president-elect over allegations he used his proximity to Trump to score payments from those seeking roles or influence in the new administration. The review recommended that Trump aides sharply constrain adviser Boris Epshteyn’s access to the president-elect. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Epshteyn isn’t accused of doing anything illegal but the investigation appeared designed to weaken or eliminate his prominent position within Trump’s orbit. The president-elect has long chafed at those he viewed as using him for their own personal gain.… Continue Reading

Trump names Karoline Leavitt as youngest ever White House press secretary

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named his campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt to serve as his White House press secretary. The 27-year-old Leavitt would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. During Trump’s first term in office, Leavitt worked in the White House press office. Trump says: “Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium.”… Continue Reading

Trump Pentagon pick had been flagged by fellow service member as possible ‘Insider Threat’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that’s associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth has said he was pulled by his National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration, saying he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest. This week, however, a fellow Guard member shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo reading “Deus Vult” that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.”… Continue Reading

Biden’s White House invitation to Trump continues a tradition Trump shunned in 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before he comes back for good on Inauguration Day, Donald Trump will return to the White House briefly at the invitation of President Joe Biden. That may make for an awkward encounter, especially given that, after Biden defeated Trump in 2020, the then-president offered no such White House invitation. He even left Washington before the inauguration, becoming the first president to do so since 1869. Biden has vowed to ensure a smooth transition. The meeting is set for Wednesday morning. It’ll be the first time since 1992 that an outgoing president sits down with an incoming one whom he competed against in a campaign.… Continue Reading

Tourists can finally visit the Oval Office. A replica is opening near the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new tourist stop in Washington is offering visitors the next best thing to being in the Oval Office. It’s a life-sized replica decorated just like President Joe Biden’s Oval Office, right down to the weathered family Bible on a side table. Unlike the real Oval Office, tourists can go inside the replica, sit on the furniture and take photos. It’s part of “The People’s House: A White House Experience” that’s opening to the public on Monday.… Continue Reading