Trump never seemed to view his occupation of the White House as transitory, any more than he viewed the presidency that way. He regarded them as if they were property which had come into his possession and which he could only lose if he wished. Because the White House belongs to the American public, not any particular politician, presidents have for years been careful to keep electoral politics out of the building. Not Trump. He delivered his 2020 conference speech from the building.
‘The fact is, we’re here’ – meaning the White House – ‘and they’re not,’ Trump said. “For me, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world is not a building, it’s a house as far as I’m concerned. Not even a house, it’s a house.
Trump’s sense of ownership for the building extended even to a memory he had created: a “key to the White House”. In his book “Breaking History,” Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner described the trinkets.
“When Trump met with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), he brought out his signature gift: an oversized bronze ‘Key to the White House’ in a wooden box engraved with the presidential seal. Trump designed the key himself to give to special guests.
“‘It’s the first key I give to anyone,’ he said. ‘Even when I’m no longer president, you can walk up to the front door of the White House and the present, and they will let you in.’ .’ “
– “Breaking History,” Jared Kushner
Kushner writes that he “tried to stop himself from laughing” during the presentation. Naturally. It is not true that presidents can simply grant other people lifetime access to the White House. Not only because of the security implications, but, again, because the house does not belong to the president and cannot offer it to others. Trump was allowed to stay there by the people; this grant is not transferable.
But at least he was president then. At least he lived in the White House. This is no longer the case – so why does he keep giving away these keys?
On Tuesday, Trump left the Manhattan courthouse where he is attending his criminal trial and headed to Trump Tower. There he met former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso. It was part of Trump’s increasingly explicit policy shadow diplomacy effortshis engagements with foreign leaders are aimed at building relationships and positioning himself on the international stage as he seeks re-election to the presidency.
Trump’s presidential campaign sent reporters a “summary” of his meeting with Aso — itself a mirror of how presidents summarize meetings with foreign leaders — and included the photo below.
Yes, Trump gave Aso the key to the White House. It’s unclear whether he offered the same message about Aso presenting the key to the White House gates. (A question sent to the campaign about the meeting was not answered.)
It’s just weird. Mayors hand over the keys to their city to notable figures in a symbolic capacity, but it seems safe to say that they generally stop doing so once they leave office. After all, the city doesn’t belong to them. Yet here is Donald Trump, acting as if he is simply renting the White House to President Biden and let Aso know that he is welcome to stop by and use the bowling alley anyway.
Part of this is certainly because Trump is trying to give the impression he gave at the 2020 Republican convention: precisely that the power of the presidency belongs to him, even if he is somewhat out of control. worn for a while. It’s simply Napoleon Bonaparte, who walks the streets of the island of Elba with his iconic hat and gives people the keys to the Élysée. He would come back.
There is an interesting footnote worth mentioning here. In September, one of these keys disappeared at auction, sold for around $3,700. The key came from “the personal collection of a very high-ranking member of President Donald Trump’s entourage,” the auction site said, noting that these keys were “specially designed and presented to foreign dignitaries and others personalities during the Trump-Pence campaign.” administration.” And then, it seems, as long as they were in stock. A better gift for Aso than sneakers or an NFTcertainly.
But the auction raises an interesting question: Is $3,700 a fair price to pay for unlimited lifetime access to the White House?