A rumor reached the press corps as Washington’s workday wound down: the White House had an unusual briefing in the works. Confirmation came quickly. Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to the Tuesday schedule, would take questions from the Rose Garden.
The Rose Garden — rebranded the “Rose Garden Club” under President Donald Trump — mostly hosts receptions and dinners now, though the president does make the occasional policy announcement there, like his “Liberation Day” tariffs, and Biden held some bilateral pressers in the space. But the daily-style briefing rarely leaves the West Wing. Moving it outside, with a stand-in at the mic, felt a little like a substitute-teacher move.
As the briefing inched closer, the press swarmed the “Palm Room Doors” — the entrance just steps from the Rose Garden and the president’s new helipad.
All the jockeying to bust through those doors first turned out to be pointless. The garden had been set up like the briefing room, seats assigned, and attending required a request submitted in advance.
The guest list looked scrambled. Some outlets that hold a regular briefing-room seat seemed to have skipped it or not been approved, while a few publications without a usual seat landed spots in the back of the garden.
I was one row up from where I normally sit, which is the very back of the room. Even so, there weren’t enough seats for everyone, and the usual crowd of reporters lined the sides, angling for a question.
Tuesday had started out crisp, another rarity for Washington in September, and I’d hoped the weather would hold for an outdoor briefing. I was wrong.
My seat sat directly under the sun. The ten-odd minutes we waited past 2 for Blanche to start felt like an eternity, sweat dripping down my back.
Others were just as uncomfortable. As the briefing began, I texted a reporter near me: “I’d be okay if he didn’t take any questions and we wrapped this up. Way too hot!”
It only got more unbearable as Blanche laughed at us baking in the sun. Three times the attorney general asked whether the press was sweating. He was not, he told us, because the podium happened to be in the shade, unlike the rest of the setup.
The heat wasn’t the only struggle. Reporters will often let the White House know in advance if they plan to attend a presser. For guests, and even for the regular press secretary, officials keep a seating chart of who’s there and where.
Blanche said at the top that he had a list and would use it. I’d texted a DOJ official that morning to say I’d be there in light pink, and I knew the message had reached the attorney general, so I felt good heading in.
But after calling on two reporters from the list, Blanche went rogue.
