Pool Reports of December 5, 2025

In-town note 1: Loaded for KenCen

Pool has been assembled and packed neatly into vans for the short motorcade to the Kennedy Center, where POTUS is scheduled to attend the FIFA World Cup draw.

In-town note 2: Rolling

Motorcade is rolling for the Kennedy Center at 1120 ET. 

Pool did not see POTUS exit the White House.

In-town note 3: Arrival

Motorcade arrived at the Kennedy Center at 1125 ET. 

Pool did not see POTUS as we have split up and are moving to the Hall of Nations for the red carpet arrival festivities.

In-town note 4: Red carpet

POTUS entered the Hall of Nations at 1131. 

The entire room is lined on one side with television cameras and he is speaking to reporters near the entrance. FIFA head Gianni Infantino is with him.

In-town note 5: POTUS halfway up red carpet

POTUS is still talking to a succession of reporters who have lined up along the red carpet. He and Infantino are roughly halfway to the end (where pool is staged) as of 1140.

In-town note 6: POTUS speaks

POTUS took several questions on the FIFA peace prize he is rumored to be getting, a planned meeting with the Mexican and Canadian heads of state/government, etc. 

He also bragged about ticket sales and improvements made Kennedy Center as Ric Grenell lurked behind him. 

Pool is now moving to a box in the Opera House where I will endeavor to send fuller quotes.

In-town report 6: POTUS in box / quotes
[APP Note: This is Report #7.]

POTUS is visible next to Infantino in the Opera house box adorned with the presidential seal. 

Infantino is still with him, and Boris Epshteyn is visible in the box as well as Canadian PM Carney. 

Quotes from red carpet:

POTUS: " It's a great honor. This has been an honor for a lot of reasons. Number one, they've sold more tickets than any event has ever sold already, long before the kickoff. And number two was doing our work at the Kennedy Center. It was falling apart, and now it's it's pretty much back, and we'll get it back within the National Conference through construction. You see the way it looks. And John is just telling me he's done an incredible job, by the way. He's just telling how good a job we've done. You can look at the wall. Marble was broken. It was a mess. And then we've really taken the Kennedy so a lot of people thought it was going to be ripped down, and we did just the opposite. So we've done a really great renovation job on it, and over the next three, four months, it'll be complete and well, honored to have it here. And it's been, it's been very special. We've set a record of ticket sales, as you probably heard already, even way before, long before the event itself. We're working with Canada, and we're working with Mexico, and it's been a really spectacular so far, it's been spectacular."

Q:  you're expected to get the FIFA Peace Prize, Mr. President, what would you say to people who say that prize might conflict with your pledge to strike Venezuela?

POTUS:  Well, I think the Peace Prize when I settled eight wars, I don't know that I'm getting it. I haven't officially noticed. I've been hearing about each prize when I'm here to represent our country in a different sense, but I can tell you I did settle eight wars, a ninth coming, but which nobody's ever done before. But I want to really save lives. I don't need prizes. I need to save lives. So we're saving a lot of lives. I've saved millions and millions of lives, and that's really what I want to do. I also want to run a great country. And the United States right now is the hottest country anywhere in the world. And one year ago I was dead, we had a dead country, and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.

Q: what are you going to discuss with the leaders of Canada Mexico?

A: 
We're getting all on I think we have a meeting set up for some time after the event,

In-town note 8: Event starts

The event has kicked off with Andrea Bocelli singing Nessun Dorma. 

POTUS appears to be watching/listening intently — Bocelli is also scheduled to perform at the White House tonight.

In-town note 9: FLOTUS is here / applause for Haiti

Within the last few minutes, First Lady Melania Trump entered the presidential box and is now sitting next to POTUS. 

Shortly thereafter, the crowd broke into applause when one of the hosts mentioned that Haiti had qualified for next year's World Cup.

In-town note 10: Infantino speaking

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is now speaking. He started his remarks by welcoming POTUS and FLOTUS in English, Mexican president Sheinbaum in Spanish, and Canadian PM Carney and his wife in English. 

Remarks are ongoing and being broadcast.

In-town needs re 11: POTUS leaves box

POTUS has left the presidential box. The program is ongoing.

In-town note 12: FIFA Peace Prize

The program has now shifted to presentation of the "inaugural 2025 FIFA Peace Prize" to POTUS. 

There is a hagiographic video playing that describes POTUS as "a dynamic leader who has engaged in diplomatic efforts that created opportunities for dialog de escalation and stability, and who has championed the unifying power of football on the world stage."

A group of Marines are now bringing the prize onto the stage.

In-town note 13: POTUS on stage

Infantino welcomed POTUS onto the stage at 1230 to receive the prize, which he described as "a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go" and a certificate recognizing POTUS' "exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace."

POTUS is wearing the medal as Infantino continues to speak.

In-town note 14: POTUS speaks

POTUS called the award "one of the great honors" of his life and said it was "such an honor" to be with Infantino before bragging about World Cup ticket sales again. 

"The numbers are beyond anything…what Gianni thought was possible."

POTUS also thanked FLOTUS (who received some applause) and boasted of the "outstanding" coordination with Mexico and Canada. 

"The world is a safer place now," he added. 

POTUS left the stage at 1237.

In-town note 15: POTUS/Carney/Sheinbaum "draw assistants"

POTUS was back on stage at 1247 along with Carney and Sheinbaum, where — according to Infantino — they are going to assist with the draw.

In-town note 16: More POTUS — renaming American football / draw / pool moving

POTUS, asked what it means to host the World Cup during the US 250th anniversary next year, muses about having watched Pele play in New York and remarks about soccer growth in the US since then. 

"But when you look at what has happened to football in the United States again … we never call it that, because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that's called football. But when you think about it … 
really, this is so called. There's no question, but we have to come up with another," he said. 

The three leaders each drew the names of their respective countries to start the draw. 

Pool now moving to vans as of 1254.

In-town note 17: Back to box

Pool is moving back to the press box as we are told POTUS has decided to stay a bit longer and watch more of the draw.

In-town pool note 18: Back in box / POTUS with Sheinbaum

Pool is back in the press box where we can see POTUS sitting next to Mexican president Sheinbaum.

In-town note 19: Moving again

Pool is once again moving towards the Hall of Nations / red carpet area. POTUS was still seated in his box when we were told to start moving  at 1358.

In-town note 20: Loading

After a lengthy hold at the entrance to the Hall of Nations, pool was loaded back into vans at 1451.

In-town note 22: Update on POTUS' afternoon

On background from a White House official: "The President met with the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada and now he is looking at Kennedy Center improvements with Ambassador Grenell."

In-town note 23: Rolling to White House

Motorcade is moving towards the White House as of 1631. 

Pool did not see POTUS exit the building or get into his vehicle.

In-town note 24: Back at White House

Motorcade pulled into the White House complex at 1635. 

An intrepid photographer spotted POTUS entering the Oval Office shortly thereafter.

in-town note 25: Lunch/Dinner/Food lid until 1745

The press office called a food lid until 1745.

In-town note 26: Dinner lid extended to 1845

The White House has officially made the lunch/dinner/food lid a dinner lid and extended it until 1845 ET.

In-town note 27: Gather for concert

Pool is gathering to head into the Andrea Bocelli concert in the East Room, where POTUS is going to deliver remarks.

In-town note 28: East Room

Pool was escorted into the East Room at 1956 ET after a brief hold outside during which a recorded program could be heard that appeared to be partly composed of Bocelli singing to parts of Hans Zimmer's soundtrack from Gladiator, plus a recording of POTUS taking the oath of office this past January as well as Queen's "We Are the Champions" and (of course) "YMCA" by The Village People.

In-town note 29: POTUS enters / remarks / out

POTUS, FLOTUS and Andrea Bocelli (and his wofe Veronica) entered to "Hail to the Chief."

POTUS said it was an "incredible honor" to have Bocelli there and praised him as having been "in rare form" and "incredible" during the World Cup draw this morning. 

Trump also noted that almost all GOP senators and some House members are present for the performance. 

"And we have almost all of the Republican senators, and we have a lot of very distinguished House members, mostly Republicans, to the best of my knowledge, and we have our cabinet, and I have a lot of enemies, because everybody wanted to be here tonight, everybody," he said. 

POTUS then mused about the relative merits of Bocelli and the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. 

"We're going to hear a voice, the voice of an angel. It's a voice like very few people have never been able to hit, achieve, and I've had a lot of great friends. One of your great friends was Luciano Pavarotti, and as you know, he was a great friend of mine. And between the two of these men, I don't know it's a flip, it's a flip, very different. There's a sweetness about yours. There's a power about his. And when you put them all together. Let's call it a tie, but he was something very special, great friend of both of us," he said. 

Pool was ushered out at 2002 ET as the performance began.

in-town note 30: LID!!!

The White House called a travel/photo lid at 2017 ET, thus bringing to a close my day-long series of dispatches to you from the White House, from the Kennedy Center, and from a van, down by the river.

Have a great weekend, folks!