Maura Judkis In the commotion of Donald Trump’s return to office, it’s easy to overlook a smaller thing that has vanished: the Swedish ivy plant in the Oval Office. The ivy sat atop the fireplace mantel for most of the past 50 years, providing a backdrop for meetings with countless leaders and foreign dignitaries at the White House. It has filtered the air breathed by Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher and Whitney Houston. When the president stared straight ahead from the Resolute Desk, the ivy is what he saw. It has taken several shapes over the years. Under Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter the ivy was unkempt and bushy. It was pruned back during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. It features prominently
Tag Archives: WhiteHouse
Mar
Violence against Tesla dealerships will be labelled domestic terrorism and perpetrators will “go through hell”, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday in a show of support for the electric carmaker’s chief, his ally Elon Musk. Shares of the carmaker closed nearly 4 per cent higher on Tuesday, rebounding from the biggest one-day fall in four-and-a half years the previous day, after the president appeared with Musk at the White House to select a new Tesla for his staff to use. Activists have lately staged so-called Tesla Takedown protests to voice displeasure over Musk’s role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce at the behest of Trump and cancellation of contracts that fund humanitarian programmes around the world. Musk, the world’s richest person, is spearheading the Trump administration’s Department of
Mar
Is Trump’s approach one of strategic diplomacy, or could it be a potentially dangerous posture that puts the remaining captives at risk? By JPOST EDITORIAL MARCH 7, 2025 05:51 Updated: MARCH 7, 2025 06:00 US President Donald Trump meets with a delegation of former hostages in the Oval Office, and shows off a plaque of gratitude from Hostage Families Forum, March 5, 2025. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/POTUS) It was impossible to not be moved by Wednesday’s emotional meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump and a group of freed Israeli hostages – Eli Sharabi, Keith and Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher, Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Noa Argamani. Almost all of them were freed as part of ceasefire deals between Israel and Hamas. During the meeting
Mar
He said the country’s president sent him a letter saying so before his speech. President Donald Trump signaled another twist in the back-and-forth over his effort to force a negotiated end to the Ukraine-Russia war during his speech Tuesday night. As he first mentioned Ukraine 90 minutes into his address, Trump provided an update following last week’s blowup in the Oval Office between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy left the White House after the shouting match and did not sign an anticipated deal that would have given the U.S. rare minerals from Ukraine. Trump claimed during his speech Zelenskyy sent him a letter just before his speech indicating that he was ready to come back to the negotiating table and was willing to sign the agreement to give
Mar
John Oliver has weighed in on Donald Trump and Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s clash at the White House on Friday, saying “the whole spectacle was awful.” During the televised meeting, Trump called Zelenskyy “disrespectful” for not wanting to make a peace deal with Russia on his terms. Vice President JD Vance also urged Zelenskyy to thank Trump for his efforts, asking him: “Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?” Despite the conversation going off the rails, Trump — in a nod to his reality TV roots –acknowledged, “This is gonna be great television, I will say that.” But, according to Oliver, “that depends.” Popular on Variety “Is watching the president shit on a weaker ally for not wanting to be conquered while his goon VP tries to see
Feb
An official said Patel will likely be sworn into the position early next week. February 22, 2025, 7:14 PM President Donald Trump is expected to name FBI Director Kash Patel as the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. A Justice Department official told ABC News that Patel is expected to be sworn in as acting director early next week. FBI Director nominee Kash Patel gestures as he walks on stage to speak during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images, FILE The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment. The move comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the ATF’s general counsel, Pamela
Feb
The president signed the an executive order earlier this month. February 21, 2025, 9:36 PM At a White House event with a bipartisan group of governors Friday, President Donald Trump briefly sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills after threatening to withhold federal funds from her state over the issue of transgender athletes. The back-and-forth came as Trump discussed his executive order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. “Are you not going to comply with that?” Trump asked Mills directly. Gov. Janet Mills reacts after challenging U.S. President Donald Trump over federal law on the issue of trans women in sports as Trump addressed a meeting of governors at the White House, Feb. 21, 2025 in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images She responded that she would comply with state and federal
Feb
The billionaire has brought his four-year-old to numerous Washington events. February 11, 2025, 7:40 PM As camera crews and reporters crowded into the Oval Office on Tuesday, trying to focus on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s first public comments on slashing the government, the dramatic scene at times got stolen — by Musk’s son, “Lil X.” “This is X, and he’s a great guy — high IQ,” Trump said at the top of his remarks, chuckling and calling the four-year-old a “high-IQ individual.” President Donald Trump is joined by Elon Musk and his son X Æ A-Xii, as he signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP While defending his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Jan
President Joe Biden on Wednesday will give his last Oval Office address as he prepares to hand over power to President-elect Donald Trump and exit politics after a decadeslong career. Biden is delivering his farewell address to the nation in prime time. He is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET. Biden is leaving the White House after four years with a complex legacy bookended by Trump’s historic return to Washington. The speech comes just five days before Trump’s inauguration. Biden will be in attendance as his successor is sworn in, resuming a tradition of American democracy that Trump himself sidestepped in 2021. In a letter released Wednesday morning, Biden reflected on where his administration started in the shadows of COVID and the Jan. 6 attack by a pro-Trump mob