The Trumps and Their Open-Air Presidency

Even through the lens of non-stop criticism and opposition, the President and First Lady Melania Trump are creating iconic moments that will define their Administration as the Open-Air Presidency.  The walk down the escalator into the open space lobby at Trump Tower, as the candidate couple, was the first such moment.

Their joint outdoor appearances at disaster sites affecting Americans are others.

And this weekend their embrace of the outdoors started on Friday when the Trumps welcomed the Australian Prime Minister and his wife and introduced them to America in their traditional Trump Oval Office visit in which the spouses join the President for the initial press welcome.  The affection between the President and First Lady over the planned weekend festivities was evident even as the President parried whistleblower allegations from the media and insulted them as a “disgrace”.  

Through this, the President proudly discussed watching the rehearsals the First lady was running in the Rose Garden from the windows of the Oval in preparation for the State Dinner. In a White House first, the State dinner was held as an open-air event.  This time employing the romance of the Rose Garden as the background and as masters of their own musical style, the military musicians played from the roof of the Oval Office Portico under the stars.  

Saturday, then Sunday, while mere mortals were waking up for brunch or heading to Church, President Trump was having another outdoor press conference before heading off to his first of two rallies.  This time, in another first, the President joined the leaders of our major allies India and Australia, not in the swamps of Washington DC, but in the wide-open spaces of Texas and Ohio.  The President shared the energy of being amongst the American people with the leaders of our fellow democracies.