It was an opening day like no other. By coincidence, it was Al-Monitor’s turn to work in the White House press pool on January 20. This meant that I was part of a small group of reporters assigned to closely cover the president’s activities on behalf of the broader press corps.
Before noon, I covered President Joe Biden, who memorably and controversially issued a pre-emptive pardon to his siblings and their spouses moments before his term ended. In the afternoon, I covered President Donald Trump, including as he signed a controversial order pardoning more than 1,500 participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, which occurred after he lost the 2020 election.
Why did we write this?
My job, as a reporter representing the print media on January 20, was to track presidential moves. As I was writing a pool report at one point with a frozen thumb on my iPhone, I couldn’t help but think: “I’m so glad I dressed for the weather and not the occasion!”
We traveled in procession, sometimes driving through the streets of Washington at high speed. We were in the Oval Office Monday night when President Trump signed executive orders and held an impromptu news-packed 50-minute news conference. We’ve attended three inaugurations and watched Mr. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance greet fans and dance with their wives.
Oh, and I met Kid Rock.
It was an opening day like no other. By coincidence, it was Al-Monitor’s turn to work in the White House press pool on January 20. This meant that I was part of a small group of reporters assigned to closely cover the president’s activities on behalf of the broader press corps.
We traveled in procession, sometimes driving through the streets of Washington at high speed. We were in the Oval Office Monday night as President Donald Trump signed executive orders and held a news-packed 50-minute meeting. Impromptu press conference. We’ve attended three inaugurations and watched President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance high-five fans and dance with their wives.
Oh, and I met Kid Rock.
Why did we write this?
My job, as a reporter representing the print media on January 20, was to track presidential moves. As I was writing a pool report at one point with a frozen thumb on my iPhone, I couldn’t help but think: “I’m so glad I dressed for the weather and not the occasion!”
At our first inaugural party—the Commander-in-Chief’s party—pool reporters started smelling cigar smoke. I turned around, and saw Kid Rock, who had performed at the Inauguration Eve rally, standing behind us on the little press, cigar and drink in hand.
The day was full of other unforgettable moments. My job as a newspaper reporter representing the print media was to track presidential movements. Before noon, I covered President Joe Biden, who issued a prominent and controversial pre-emptive decision Pardoning his brothers and their spouses Moments before the end of his term. In the afternoon, I covered Mr. Trump, including as he signed a controversial order pardoning more than 1,500 participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, which occurred after he lost the 2020 election.
In that moment, I thought about the family and supporters outside the Washington, D.C., prison Who I recently interviewed – And who prayed for this pardon?
Throughout the day, I described personal events as they happened. As the Trump family was greeted by President Biden and the First Lady as they arrived for morning tea at the White House, I was standing on a podium outside the North Portico. Mr. Biden was asked: “What is your message today?”
He said: “Joy.” After a pause, “Hope.”
As I typed my pool report with a frozen thumb on my iPhone, I couldn’t help but think: “I’m so glad I dressed for the weather and not the occasion!”
The temperature outside was 23 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind was blustery, which is why the inauguration was moved indoors. But I knew I was going to be spending time outside anyway, which turned out to be more than I expected. Not only were the Trump family arriving, but Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband were also there. Not on the schedule was the arrival of incoming Vice President Vance and his wife, greeting the soon-to-depart second couple.
I knew we’d be attending the inaugurations that evening, and I didn’t want to appear naive. But wearing a dress and high heels in the bitter cold didn’t make sense. So I put on black jeans, fur-lined Ugg boots, and a ratty LL Bean barn jacket.
That night, as we dispersed through the slew of party-goers wearing gowns and tuxedos at every event to head to our press stations, I didn’t care what I looked like. I was just glad I didn’t get frostbite.
As soon as Mr. Trump was sworn into office inside the Capitol rotunda, around noon on Monday, I had a feeling we had walked through the looking glass: All we could expect was the unexpected. I wasn’t actually in the rotunda for this part of the day. A separate Capitol press group handled these reports, while the White House team sat in the hearing room in Dirksen’s Senate Office Building and watched the proceedings on C-SPAN.
I was happy to be inside and able to eat something. Soon we were outside again, watching the Biden family say their goodbyes and flying off in the Nighthawk 46, a Black Hawk military helicopter. Thus, the Biden era ended, and the Trump era resumed.
That evening’s opening show, held inside Washington’s 20,000-seat Capital One Arena, was a sight to behold. Bands from Mississippi, Tennessee and Mr. Vance’s High School in Middletown, Ohio, performed, as did a bagpipe band from New York. First responders also marched from Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump survived an assassination attempt last July.
Mr. Trump returned to the Oval Office that evening, for the first time in four years, Create the biggest news of the dayWhere he signed orders and answered press questions. He looked right at home, as if he had never left.
At one point, prompted by a reporter’s question, Mr. Trump reached into the Resolute desk — made of timber from the British ship HMS Resolute and given to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria — and pulled out a letter from Mr. Biden. This letter from the departing president to the incoming president has become a tradition.
Earlier today, Biden refused to disclose what he wrote to his successor. Mr. Trump opened the letter to the press, then thought better of it. It seems that some things are better left for later.
