From Amy MackinnonSent Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 7:23 AM ET
After the event, the Vice President had lunch at MCC. The pool has returned to the hotel and we are holding here. There are no further public events on the VP’s schedule for today. In response to our questions about any changes to the VP’s travel schedule, his team sent over a statement from Karoline Leavitt: "There are discussions about in person talks, but nothing is final until announced by the President or the W…
From Amy MackinnonSent Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 6:03 AM ET
The event concluded at 1159. The VP received a standing ovation. Vance described the Iran ceasefire as a "fragile truce." The VP said he used the term fragile as there are people within the Iranian system who want to work to find a deal. But said that there are other elements in the same system who have lied about the truce. The VP also spoke about higher education in the US, and his own experience of going to an el…
From Amy MackinnonSent Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 5:40 AM ET
VP's motorcade arrived at MCC at 1112 CEST. Balazs Orban, MCC’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the political Director to Prime Minister Viktor Orban gave opening remarks starting at 1121 CEST ahead of the VP's arrival onto the stage. VP was on stage at 1127. The format of the discussion is a fireside chat, moderated by Zoltan Szalai, Director General of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. The conversation is expe…
From Amy MackinnonSent Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 8:52 AM
Good morning from Budapest, Pool is rolling to Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), where Vice President JD Vance is set to participate in a “fireside chat” at 1100 CEST. MCC is a Hungarian University in Budapest. Your pooler has asked for comment from the VP’s team about his role in the Iran ceasefire talks and will share as soon as that comes through. No sightings of the VP this morning or details to share about his…
DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026 In-Town Pool TV Corr & Crew: CBS Secondary TV Corr: Lindell TV Photos: AP, AFP, NYT, Reuters, Getty Print: The Independent Secondary Print: Wall Street Journal Radio: CBS New Media: The Federalist EDT: 9:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time 8:00 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time The White House Closed Press 11:30 AM THE PRESIDENT participates in a…
From Shirish DateSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026 6:53 PM
The WH press office announced a lid at 1844. Have a pleasant evening, after you are done filing off the social media post. 30- S.V. Dáte Senior White House Correspondent HuffPost XXX-XXX-XXXX @svdate
From Shirish DateSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026 6:36 PM
On his social media platform at 1832: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116365796713313030 30- S.V. Dáte Senior White House Correspondent HuffPost XXX-XXX-XXXX @svdate
Last night, President Donald J. Trump spoke via satellite with the crew of NASA’s historic Artemis II mission, becoming the first President to engage in interplanetary communication with astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit in over five decades. Artemis II marks humanity’s return to the lunar vicinity for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, taking astronauts farther from Earth than ever before — reaching nearly 253…
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 12:34 AM ET
We have a lid at 1832 CEST. Have a great day/evening everyone. Amy Mackinnon US-Europe Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Financial Times XXX-XXX-XXXX (Cell, Signal, WhatsApp)
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 12:24 AM ET
Vance continued his remarks saying “I admire what you are fighting for.” Recalling his remarks at the 2025 Munich Security Conference, Vance said the US and Hungary face a “shared threat from within” in the form of far left ideology in universities, among bureaucrats and in the entertainment industry. The VP accused Brussels of attempting to impose its will on Hungary. “We see sovereignty challenged in Hungary. We s…
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 10:39 AM ET
The rally got underway shortly before 1700 CEST with a performance of the Hungarian and then American national anthems. VP Vance took to the stage at 1731 to a standing ovation. The crowd is waving small Hungarian flags. At 1733 he called President Trump from the stage. “I love Hungary and I love that Viktor.” Trump said Orban didn’t allow people to “storm” and “ruin” the country. “Boy that sounds like a big crowd a…
Amid growing legal chaos and financial pressures threatening athletic programs, the future of college sports is under serious threat. That is why, in response to calls from athletes, universities, and fans across the country, President Trump took decisive action by signing an urgent Executive Order to protect college sports, an essential American institution that supports over 500,000 student-athletes, drives local…
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 10:46 AM ET
Pool is holding at MTK Sportpark, a sports venue where Vice President Vance and the Hungarian PM Viktor Orban are set to speak at around 1700 CEST. The event marks “The Day of Hungarian-American Friendship.” Pool travelled here separately, ahead of the VP. Loud Hungarian pop music is playing in the stadium, which is now full. There was a large line of people down the street waiting to enter the venue as the pool arr…
From Shirish DateSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026 9:30 AM
Good morning from your White House, where it is a cool but pleasant spring day. The president has no events open to the pool or the larger press corps today. According to the daily guidance, he began participating in "executive time" at 0800, which may, per the schedule, last until the 1600 "policy meeting." Pool has asked what exactly the president is doing in this period, but has as of yet not received additional…
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 8:50 AM ET
The press conference got underway at 1348 CEST. They spoke for around 35 minutes. PM Orban spoke in Hungarian and the pool listened via a translation headset. Orban said the pair discussed energy security in Europe, US efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine and the defense of western civilization. Vance thanks Orban and said “I want to help the Prime Minister as much as I can” ahead of the elections. The VP…
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 7:35 AM ET
Still waiting for the start of the press conference. AP is carrying a live feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU0SEPSwxQA Amy Mackinnon US-Europe Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Financial Times XXX-XXX-XXXX (Cell, Signal, WhatsApp)
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The motorcade arrived at Carmelite Monastery around 1142 CEST. The pool did not catch the VP’s greeting with Orbán as we were at the back of the motorcade. After the greeting the Prime Minister showed the VP around the grounds of the Monastery for just under 20 minutes. The pool was not present for the tour. At 1211 CEST the VP and the PM went into a bilateral meeting. There was no pool spray at the top. At 1237 the…
From Amy MackinnonSent Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 5:06 AM ET
Good morning from sunny Budapest, We had an uneventful flight from JBA, and no visitors to the press cabin. AF2 touched down at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc airport at 1036 CEST. The VP and the Second Lady deplaned at 1053. They were greeted on the red carpet by Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Caroline Savage, the Charge d’affaires of the US Embassy in Hungary. The red carpet was flan…