Pool Reports of July 18, 2025

In-town pool report #1 — lunch lid

Good morning on another muggy Friday.

The White House called a lunch lid until 12:30pm at 11:34am.

Still no word on if President Trump plans to open up his Oval Office swearing-in ceremony for IRS commissioner Billy Long. As of now, the first time we'll see him will be at the signing ceremony for the GENIUS Act, currently scheduled for 2:30pm.

In-town pool report #2 — Homan gaggle/no amnesty

Good morning on another muggy Friday.

Border Czar Tom Homan fielded questions from reporters on the driveway for roughly 8.5 minutes, starting just before noon. Otter and highlights below, please make sure to check against the transcript/video:https://otter.ai/u/LcH97MV4Y_yZ7Hg6ua_8PNkq22c?utm_source=copy_url

Q: Is a $2 billion renovation of Alcatraz worth it?
We're looking for any available bed space we can get... I'd have to see how many beds — how many beds come along. What's the length of stay that facility is going to do? We've got short term bed facilities. We've got long term facilities. So unless I have both that information, I can't — I can't even guess.

Q:Would you rather see other states do things like alligator Alcatraz?
The Secretary is working with other states to do that, to bring out beds quickly... I think states have a responsibility too... I'm happy that states are stepping up

Q: What penalties should there be for assaulting an ICE officer?
You should go to prison. President Trump made that clear the other day. This is ridiculous. You put a hand on an ICE officer, you're going to jail. You impede an ICE officer, you're being prosecuted

Q:When do you expect the President to actually announce the specifics of the exemptions for deportations for farm workers?
There's discussions going on, and I'm not gonna get ahead of the president now, but I'll say this because I've read a lot of news stories that are inaccurate. There will be no amnesty.

Q: Are you concerned about amnesty provisions in Salazar bill?
The president will not approve any amnesty,

In-town pool report #3 — gathering

For bill signing ceremony as on 2:25pm

The event will be streamed on the various WH channels, so pool will not send quotes

Tktk

In-town pool report #4 — room color/Kevin McCarthy

Pool entered the East Room at 2:37pm. There were roughly 150-200 attendees, many of them quite young (north eastern corner), seated in the typical horseshoe arrangement, facing the dais situated on the room's eastern wall.

Pool notably spotted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy seated in the second row. Pool has requested a full list of attendees

You can follow along with Trump's remakes here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/1izvMU1WfBU?si=9zYQhZZorhj3tSZG

In-town pool report #5 — event begins

POTUS entered at 2:48pm to a roughly 1-minute round of applause. He began speaking at 2:49pm

TRUMP: "The GENIUS Act. They named it after me…"
Tktk

In-town pool report #6 — event concludes

POTUS finished speaking and signed the GENIUS Act into law at 3:25pm.

At 3:27pm, the president exited the East Room, thanking the press but not answering shouted questions.

In-town pool report #7 — Blair gaggle/WH rejected 7pm Fed

Deputy chief of staff James Blair gaggled with reporters for roughly 15 minutes, just before 4:15pm. See otter andhighlights below, and don't forget to double check quotes against video/transcript

https://otter.ai/u/pkeiJobTtLfn5fSjVsEJXoxLKZs?utm_source=copy_url

Notably, Blair told pool that the Fed had offered an invitation to visit their renovation site Friday at 7pm. The White House declined, due to POTUS' 7pm dinner with GOP Senators and WH's desire to do it during business hours

Q: Have you scheduled time for Fed review?
They offered us 7pm this evening. We rejected that. I don't think after hours on a weekend is when we want to be there. We want to see what's going on. We want to see what the construction is like. So we've sent a note back through the Office of Management and Budget that we'd like to come next week. We'd like to come during the day.

Q: What are you looking for when you get there?
Number one, we want to know if what the Fed Chair said was true. He said all of the design plans have changed from all of the features that have been much discussed to the public, the gardens, the beehives, the VIP elevators, the water features. He said, 'All of this has changed.' We just want to know whether or not that's true. We want to see it for ourselves... I would like all of the revised plans since 2021. I just got the binder in my office. I posted it online. Nothing's been submitted to the Commission since 2021. We just want to know whether the plans changed or they didn't.

Q: Do you have an update on timing of the next rescissions package?
Soon

Q: Can you be a little more specific
[Shakes head] I'll also leave that to Director Vought to discuss with you.

Q: What's the next move with Powell if WH determines "he lied" about renovation?
Obviously, that'll be up to the president if he chooses to exercise an action there. But more importantly, I think the question is, what do the governors think? There's the Board of Governors here, which the president has mentioned. They have a responsibility. It's not just the chair. There's a Board of Governors. They should hold him accountable, not only for the project, but his management of monetary policy.

Q: Has WH made a decision on what will be in next rescissions package, regardless of timing of transfer?
We've got a number of items we're looking at also, obviously talking to the senators too. They're going through the appropriations process. We don't know what's important to them, but you know, you'll obviously see that very soon.

Q: What are you looking at?
I mean, everything that just doesn't come aboard with the president's agenda, that doesn't make sense, really just taxpayer waste. Obviously, DOGE did a lot of work. A lot of the work that DOGE did is the type of thing you can see reflective of rescissions packages, which is what you saw earlier.

Q: How will Trump sell OBBB before the midterms?
It's just about talking about what's in the bill, and what's in the bill is really popular. It's everything the president campaigned on: no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime pay. Obviously, we have a historic amount of border resources. We've closed the border. I mean, literally, 99% drop in border crossings. The border is actually under control. Golden dome. All of these things that we ran on, we just have to tell the American people that it's done now.

Q: Will Trump's political operation put money behind the bill?
I wouldn't be surprised to see them do it in the future.

Q: Will Trump make supplemental funding request for more Texas flood aid?
We'll have to see. It's very early in that process. We'll have to see what Texas thinks it needs. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Obviously, it takes a while for meaningful damage assessments to come in in situations like this, so I think we'll have to wait and see what the recovery looks like, and what they think they need.

Q: what do you make of Elon Musk's third party threat?
You know, I don't know what to make of that. I don't know where that's going or if he'll follow through on that, and frankly, I'm not focused on it.

Q: Will Trump withhold political support from Susan Collins for voting against rescissions?
I think the President would like to see everybody join in the great Republican victories that are going on, including the rescissions package. What's important is that it's passed. What's important as this president has passed every single thing so far.

In-town pool report #8 — gathering

Pool is gathering at the Palm Room doors for POTUS' dinner with Senators, which had previously been closed to press

Tktk

In-town pool report #9 — color/event begins

Pool entered the State Dining Room at 6:55pm. POTUS followed at 7:02pm.

There are 7 circular tables, all adorned with white flower centerpieces and three white candles sitting on gold candlestick holders.

WH advises that Trump's remarks are being streamed on their various channels, so pool will not send full quotes

Pool has also requested a full list of attendees, but quick eyes spot Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, Sens. Tuberville, Scott, Cornyn, Cruz, McConnell, Graham and more are seated with a smattering of other admin officials. Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and his wife Katie, who recently departed the Trump administration, are seated at the table closest to pool.

Tktk

In-town pool report #10 — remarks conclude/pool out

POTUS wrapped his remarks at 7:22, and pool was escorted out of the room as he was taking his seat. Pool was not located in a reasonable position to ask questions.

White House has not provided a full list of attendees, but here's a few more pool didn't immediately spot upon entry…

— Thune
— Barrasso
— Moore Capito
— Crapo
— Britt
— Diane's
— Heidi Cruz

And an otter for anyone who had trouble with the WH stream:
https://otter.ai/u/WLg_D7_d8QGBtf_4Fb2EJ3oHdMo

In-town pool report #10a — Daines typo

Clearing the air... pool spotted SENATOR DAINES, not "Diane's," as autocorrected in report #10. Apologies

In-town pool report #11 — travel/photo lid...

... called at 7:30pm. Have a great weekend, y'all!