My Front Row Seat To Trump's Second First Year
I’m determined to never lose sight of how special my job is, no matter how routine an Oval Office visit becomes
During the many quiet days covering the Biden White House, the veteran reporters would lean back in their chairs and recount what it was like to cover Donald Trump’s White House.
To a newcomer like me, their stories sounded almost legendary, like tall tales from some bygone era of journalism. One correspondent told me that under Trump, you hardly ever went a full day without seeing the president. Some days you would be sitting at your desk, about to take a bite out of a sandwich, and a reporter would yell that the president was outside taking questions, causing everyone to rush outside.
Starting on Jan. 20, 2025, I got to experience one of those “legends” for myself.
One day, while I was sipping a coffee in the White House briefing room, reporters started sprinting outside. The first American Pope had been chosen and Trump had emerged from the West Wing doors to celebrate and take questions.
There have been days where Trump has appeared on the White House roof, or on the White House lawn to inspect his new flag polls. Other days, I’ve rushed into the Oval Office because the president randomly called for the press.
Covering the Trump administration has been better than those legends the veteran reporters told me. There are stories I tell my friends that I myself can’t even believe I experienced.
It’s been one full year of this type of crazy, chaotic coverage. From interviewing the president to soaring high on Air Force One, here are my favorite moments:
1. The First White House Press Briefing
Over the course of covering one year of the Biden administration, I was called on just three times in the White House briefing room. The Daily Caller has a seat in the briefing room — all the way in the back row, and it’s the second seat in from the right.
Two of the times I was called on was because I snuck up and took a seat in the front of the briefing room. Other reporters who typically sit in the front of the room were absent, and I truly believe Karine Jean-Pierre might have run out of people to call on, leaving her to finally come to me.
Karoline Leavitt’s first press briefing was intimidating. I’m sure it was for her too. The small room was packed in a way I had never seen it before. I made sure to wear bright colors to be spotted easier, and I bought a child’s booster seat to give me some height over the rows of reporters in front of me.
A few minutes into the briefing, Karoline looked back at me. She called on me by name and told the rest of the room she understood that I and my colleagues in the back of the room hadn’t been called on much in the last year. She told everyone that was going to change.
Karoline has been true to her word. I’ve lost track of how many briefings I’ve been called on. But I do know it is much more than three times.
Here’s the clip:
And for good measure, here is the last time Karine Jean-Pierre called on me. That was almost two years ago to the day. I asked her when Biden was going to take another trip to the border… and she told me he had already been…
2. Visiting The Border With Vice President JD Vance
You know who did go to the border shortly after taking office? Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Director Tulsi Gabbard and War Secretary Pete Hegseth. I joined Vance on that trip. It was my first time on any of the presidential aircrafts. We took a flight down to Eagle Pass, Texas, where we took an aerial tour of the border in helicopters. Here’s a few pictures:
Vance visited border facilities and met with lawmakers and border patrol agents. The vice president rounded out the trip with a press briefing at Shelby Park, an area that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seized so officials could put up razor wire and barriers to help deter crossings coming from the Rio Grande. During the presser, Vance told me the administration will be finishing the border wall.
3. Getting My Ashes On Ash Wednesday With Vice President Vance
My trip to the border with the vice president was on Ash Wednesday. As a devout Catholic myself, I’ve never missed an Ash Wednesday. One of the first questions I asked the vice president’s team when they invited me on the trip was, “will I be back in time to get my ashes?”
I was initially assured that I would be back in time, but then the trip ended up being longer than expected. The morning of the trip, I kept wondering how the VP was going to get his ashes.
As we were leaving the Eagle Pass and approaching Air Force Two, I realized there was a priest standing at the foot of the plane to give Vance his ashes.
After Vance walked over and received his ashes, the vice president’s team rushed me over to ensure that I kept my streak of receiving my ashes.
Probably one of the coolest moments I’ve had not just as a reporter, but as a Catholic.