Pool Reports of May 19, 2025

In-town pool report #1 — 2 min warning

I'm your in-town pooler today, and we just got the two minute warning for the briefing.

In-town pool report #2 — Putin call

In response to questions from members of the press, the White House confirms, on background, that the Trump-Putin call is underway. They would not weigh in on the Zelensky call.

In-town pool report #3 — lunch lid

We have a lunch lid until 12:30 pm.

In-town pool report #4 — bill signing

The billing signing for the "Take It Down Act" just began in the Rose Garden, with President Trump and his wife, Melania, both appearing for the occasion. They held hands as they made their entrance.

A wooden desk with the presidential seal, as well as two chairs, are set up to the left of the lectern (also with the seal). A varied palette of pastels—befitting the beautiful, lightly breezy day—dotted the assembled crowd like so many Easter eggs. Your pooler (and helpful co-pooler!) spotted Sec. Duffy, Sec. McMahon, Sec. Noem, Sec. Burgum, Sec. Bessent, Attorney General Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, NEC Dir. Kevin Hassett, chief of staff Susie Wiles, both Texas senators (Cruz, in shades, posed for pictures with attendees before the event began), Rep. Mace, and Rep. Salazar, among other members of Congress neither of us could confidently identify. We have asked the White House for a complete list of notable attendees, and will onpass if and when we get it.

The ceremony should be live-streamed on the White House website (and elsewhere), but your pool will send any additional, notable color.

In-town pool report #5 — Bill signing over

About 15-minutes after it began, the bill signing has ended.

After First Lady Melania Trump spoke, President Trump addressed the crowd, at first briefly touching on his call earlier this morning with Russian President Vladimir Putin (and largely reiterating his TruthSocial post on the topic). The president said the two men spoke for about two-and-half hours and declared that "some progress has been made." He also joked that Putin prefers Melania.

Sec. Lutnick entered shortly after the First Lady began speaking and, ducking, dashed across the lawn to take his seat in the front.

In-town pool report #6 — Trump on Russia-Ukraine

As Trump exited the event, he responded briefly to two shouted questions — if he thought Putin wanted peace, and if he thought Pope Leo could help broker it. In both instances, he responded in the affirmative, saying: "I do."

(Your pooler was on the far side, and didn't actually hear Trump's responses, so thanks to the reporters who did).

In-town pool #7 — Russia, Biden remarks

Trump's event with law enforcement officers in the Oval Office just wrapped up, but flagging a few snippets of questions Trump answered about his call with Putin this morning and on Biden's recent cancer diagnosis. (Fuller quotes to come).

Trump said he thought the Pope getting involved in the peace talks w Russia-Ukraine did not mean the U.S. would be taking a lesser role in the negotiations, but he liked the idea of doing it at the Vatican—it would be "great"—saying it would add "some extra significance" to do it there.

He said there were "some big egos involved," and if he expects there will be some progress, but if there isn't, "I'm just going to back away." Trump said he told Putin, "We've got to get going." And he later, again, talked about stepping away if it doesn't look like there is going to be a peace deal.

He said that he did not bring up his previous TruthSocial appeal to Putin ("Vladimir, STOP!") on their call today. And he said he did have in his head a line at which he would stop U.S. involvement in the conflict, but refused to share, saying it would hurt negotiations.

Asked about Biden's diagnosis, he said it was "very sad, actually," later calling it "a very, very sad situation," saying that he felt "badly about it." But he also raised questions about why the cancer wasn't caught earlier, and why the public wasn't notified earlier, and tied it to questions he has long raised about Biden's mental fitness to serve as president.

In-town pool #8 — fuller quotes (and audio)

Here is the audio, save the first few minutes of the official event, with many (many!) thanks to Haley Bull of Scripps: https://otter.ai/u/ZaO1ok7UzkcS63hMG4z9Ure_cZ0?utm_source=copy_url

And below are fuller quotes on the news, though please refer to the audio for Trump's complete comments and, as always, check the below quotes against the audio. (Your pooler will send another report on the actual law enforcement event — also on the Otter — shortly).

QUOTES

*On if having Pope Leo take a bigger role in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations means the U.S. will take a step back: "No, no, no. I think it would be great to have it at the Vatican. Maybe it would have some extra significance.... So no, I think it would be maybe helpful. There's tremendous bitterness, anger, and I think maybe that could help with some of that anger. So having it in the Vatican would be—in Rome—would be a great, I think it'd be great idea."

*On if he brought up the 30-day cease-fire on his call with Putin today: "Well, what we've done, and very strongly, is we said, let's get this thing going."

*On if he still agreed with his previous comments, that nothing would happen until he and Putin get together: "I think something's going to happen. It's a very —very big egos involved. I tell you, big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen. And if it doesn't, I just back away and they're going to have to keep going. Again, this was a European situation, and should have remained a European situation."

*On if he asked Putin to meet with him: Of course I did. I talked to him about it. I said, When are we going to end this Vladimir? I've known [him?] for a long time now. I said, When are we going to end this bloodshed, this bloodbath. It's a bloodbath. And I do believe he wants to end it."

*On what makes him think Putin actually wants peace, as opposed to just buying time: "I think he's had enough. I think he's had enough. It's been a long time. It's been going on for more than three years."

*On if he brought up his previous appeal—"Vladimir, STOP!"—and Putin ignoring it on their call this morning: "I didn't bring that up, but I did say, 'It's time. You got to stop this thing.' And I believe he wants to stop. Look, I would be, I think, very able to tell whether or not he wanted to or what. I thought it was a very good chance, like 50-50 chance, that he would say, 'I want to take the whole thing.' I didn't know what he was going to say, and then they have a different kind of a problem. But I believe he wants to stop."

*On if he has a red line in his head, for backing the U.S. away from the Ukraine-Russia negotiations: "I would say I do have a certain line, but I don't want to say what the plan is, because I think it makes the negotiation even more difficult than it is."

*On Biden's diagnosis: "I think it's very sad, actually. I'm surprised that it wasn't— wasn't notified a long time ago. Because to get to stage nine, it's a long time. I just had my physical. You saw the results of that particular test. I think that test is standard to pretty much anybody getting a physical....

I think, frankly, anybody running for president should, you know, take a cognitive test. They say it's unconstitutional, but I would say in that particular case, having a cognitive test wouldn't be so bad. But when you take tests, medical tests, as a male, that test is very standard. I don't know if it's given to everybody, but it's given just about and it takes a long time to get to that situation. Now I think if you get to a stage nine, I think that if you take a look, it's the same doctor that said that Joe was cognitively fine. There was nothing wrong. If it's the same doctor who said there was nothing wrong there, that's being proven to be a sad situation...

In other words, there are things going on that the public wasn't informed. And I think somebody is going to have to speak to his doctor, if it's the same or even if it's two separate doctors. Why wasn't the cognitive ability—why wasn't that discussed? I think the doctors said he's just fine, and it's turned out that's not so. It's very dangerous. Look, this is no longer politically correct. This is dangerous for our country. Look at the mess where you're talking about all these questions on Ukraine and Russia— that would have never happened. As an example, if I were president, it would have never happened. The other thing is, you have to say, why did it take so long when you—this takes a long time. It can take years to get to this level of danger. So it's a— look, it's a very, very sad situation, and I feel very badly about it, and I think people should try and find out what happened."

In-town pool report #9 — law enforcement event

Shortly before 5 pm, your pool was ushered into the Oval Office for what was advised on the daily guidance as, simply, a "Law Enforcement Event." Once there, it became clear that Trump was presenting three "Medals of Sacrifice" to the families and loved ones of law enforcement officers and first responders who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Trump awarded the first three such medals to Palm Beach County deputies who were killed last November after being struck by an SUV: Deputy Ignacio "Dan" Diaz, Deputy Luis Paez, and Deputy Ralph "Butch" Waller. At the time, Trump attended the funeral.

(Here is an article about the crash: https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/wellington/2024/12/03/they-were-lions-family-friends-honor-pbso-deputies-killed-in-crash/76731087007/)

Trump was joined by his son Eric and his wife, Lara, as well as Representatives Byron Donalds and Brian Mast. Trump also noted Pam Bondi in attendance, but your pooler didn't personally spot the attorney general.

The medals were produced by the Arnault Family, the family behind the luxury jewelry retailer, Tiffany & Co, and Alexandre Arnault was also there, from France, to help with the presentation. At one point, seemingly puzzled on how to open the first medal box, Trump turned to Arnualt and joked, "You want to help with that one? You're the one who made it." (Arnault stepped forward to help unlatch the box).

Displaying a deft understanding of Trump's politics, Arnault noted that the medals were produced "in Providence, Rhode Island, in our largest factory in the U.S." and that they are made from silver and "plated in 24 karat gold, just like the ceiling of this office."

When asked, Trump said he was looking at giving out additional posthumous medals retroactively, and also presented a fourth medal to a member of the Palm Beach County sheriffs, saying he hoped the sheriff would never need to present it.

"Hopefully it's maybe never going to be given out," Trump said, before noting that the sheriff will "have it, if something happens, and I hope it never has to be given out, frankly."

In-town pool report #10 — lid

At 8:04 p.m., we have a travel/phone lid. (Final pool report coming on the Kennedy Center Board dinner).

In-town pool report #11 — Kennedy Center Board dinner

Shortly after 7 p.m., the pool was escorted into the State Dining Room for the Kennedy Center Board dinner, and President Trump began speaking around 7:15 p.m. (Otter audio here: https://otter.ai/u/XQoqqIoAl5gOQrHVarmawtE6cgs?utm_source=copy_url).

No major news, but some color, and Trump spoke for about 30 minutes.

Seven round table, with approximately nine people seated around each one, filled the room. Three tall white candles, all lit, decorated each table, as well as a white and pink flower display at the center of each.

Trump began by telling his guests that was going to regale them with tales from his day, recounting his "good conversation with a nice gentleman named Vladimir Putin." "I think that progress is being made," he said, referring to the Ukraine-Russia war.

Trump, who fired the board of the Kennedy Center upon taking office and made himself chair, repeatedly joked about what he said was the poor condition of the Washington cultural institution. "When I said, I'll do this, I hadn't been there," Trump said. "It's the last time I'll take a job without looking at." (He later said he was given advice that anything on Broadway will be successful, adding, "So we're signing Phantom of the Opera.")

He went on long riffs singling out and praising his various guests, including Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, who he called "the most powerful woman in the world." ("I'm a big believer in the genes," he continued, as he lauded Wiles, noting her father was the famed sportscaster Pat Summerall).

Later, Trump began talking about securing both the Olympics and the World Cup for the United States, before digressing into his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. He added that he decided: "You know what I'll do? I'll run again and shove it up their ass."

"So if they would have left us alone and wouldn't have cheated on the election and wouldn't have rigged it, I would have been retired right now," Trump continued. "I would have been happily doing something else, and instead, they have me for four more years."

At one point, as he continued to speak, Trump urged the White House staff to begin quietly serving the meal. He then turned the microphone over to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke, followed by Sergio Gor and Ric Grenell.

Other attendees include: Maria Bartiromo, Pam Bondi, Ric Grenell, Jeff Landry, and Bob Kraft.