From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 4:15 PM TRT
Please verify all quotes against the Otter I previously sent. Things are moving quickly here. Would flag below comments on Turkish sanctions and Greenland, as well as Erdogan's comments on F-35s. Erdogan, in translation, says the president has made a promise on F-35s: "I believe that President Trump also has made a promise on this separately, and during the meeting of the leaders' summit, we do hope that the promise…
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 3:51 PM TRT
POTUS and Erdogan are now seated for a bilateral meeting. They posed for a picture off the top. And now are sitting opposite each other, in a setup reminiscent of the president’s bilateral meetings in the Oval. On the couch next to the president, in order of closest to furthest from him, are U.S. ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary…
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 3:37 PM TRT
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived at 3:23 p.m.at the Bestepe Presidential Compound to greet President Trump again -- this time with an arrival ceremony and honor guard review. Erdogan started walking down another long, aqua blue carpet here at the presidential compound, from the main building toward the July 15 Martyrs Monument. A brass band with drums is playing upbeat, fanfare style music. There are s…
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 3:21 PM TRT
We pulled into the Bestepe Presidential Compound at 3:20 p.m. Press vans peeled off from the main motorcade a minute earlier to get in place for the arrival. It was an uneventful drive with the sides of the roads leaving the base covered with barricades, some with advertising, and some with official welcome to NATO signage. The route felt very locked down. There were lots of police officers on the route faced away f…
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 2:54 PM TRT
We loaded into the motorcade at 2:28 p.m. and are now rolling to the Bestepe Presidential Compound, which is our next stop, as of 2:52 p.m. Uploaded some videos for reference of the arrival on X here: https://x.com/meganmesserly/status/2074454853225476341?s=46&t=RBDUhP9RBaNOhfHiyd8_3A Megan Messerly White House reporter POLITICO
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 2:21 PM TRT
POTUS stepped off the plane at 2:15 p.m. local time where he was greeted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. An aqua blue carpet was laid out for the president's arrival. Members of the Turkish military were here as well for the arrival. The two men talked for a few moments and posed for photos. Erdogan's wife Emine was here for the greeting. POTUS paused at the end of the carpet to talk with Erdogan, but you…
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 1:58 PM TRT
White House passes along the following list of greeters on arrival here at Etimesgut: Ambassador Tom Barrack U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Ambassador Matt Whitaker U.S. Ambassador to NATO General Dan Caine Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan President of the Republic of Türkiye Megan Messerly White House reporter POLITICO
From Megan MesserlySent Tuesday, July 7, 2026 1:56 PM TRT
Good afternoon from Ankara! AF1 was wheels down as of 1:51 p.m. at Etimesgut Air Base. We had no visitors to the press cabin during the flight. To give you a sense of what an overnight is like aboard the new Air Force One: The lights were dimmed, and your poolers got a mostly restful night sleep aided by the new lie-flat function of the brown leather seats in the press cabin (the buttons take a bit of trial and erro…
From Megan MesserlySent Monday, July 6, 2026 9:41 PM EDT
We are wheels up as of 9:41 p.m. Note that there is no refueling stop, so you'll next hear from me on the ground in Ankara. See you on the other side! White House passes along the following list of AF1travelers: THE PRESIDENT Secretary Marco Rubio Secretary Scott Bessent Secretary Pete Hegseth Dan Scavino Stephen Miller Steven Cheung Mike Needham Will Scharf Ross Worthington Walt Nauta Chris Ambrosini Richard Walter…
From Megan MesserlySent Monday, July 6, 2026 9:30 PM EDT
Motorcade pulled up to JBA at 9:24 p.m. after an uneventful drive. POTUS was up the stairs by 9:25 p.m. giving a quick wave at the top before heading inside the plane. No gaggle, so watch in all the usual places to see if we get one mid flight. We are indeed on the new plane. Endeavoring to get a list of travelers. Will send one more note when we're wheels up. Megan Messerly White House reporter POLITICO
From Megan MesserlySent Monday, July 6, 2026 9:04 PM EDT
The motorcade is rolling from the White House as of 9:03 p.m. in unusually timely fashion. No eyes on POTUS. Megan Messerly White House reporter POLITICO
From Megan MesserlySent Monday, July 6, 2026 8:59 PM EDT
Good evening from the White House. I will be your pooler for this 48-hour whirlwind trip to the NATO summit in Ankara and back. Your pool has been loaded into vans to motorcade to JBA and awaits the president. I will send a note when we are underway. As a reminder, we will launch into a full afternoon of activities immediately upon landing in Ankara. Ankara is seven hours ahead of D.C. Megan Messerly White House rep…
On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, Vice President JD Vance will visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he will deliver remarks on the Trump Administration's work to combat fraud. Please register for credentials HERE by 12:00 PM EDT on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Late requests will not be accepted. Once approved, you will receive additional logistics in a separate email. Credentials are non-transferable.
In a historic first, President Donald J. Trump today rang the opening bells of both the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ from the Oval Office, marking the official launch of Trump Accounts and igniting a new era of American prosperity for millions of children. Created under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts Act, Trump Accounts give every American child a powerful, tax-advantaged path to build generationa…
Some detailed quotes from POTUS at the Rose Garden Club Lunch: Welcome "Lee Greenwood, wow, has he been great, huh? That's been with me a long time, that song. We won three elections with that song. And we have a country that's a much different place than it was just a short while ago. We have the hottest stock market in history. We did great the first time. We had the greatest economic numbers ever in history for t…
From David SmithSent Monday, July 6, 2026 12:36 PM
POTUS thanked major companies who have supported the Trump Accounts. He noted: “There’s tremendous tax benefit.” He also said 401(k)s are up. He told guests in the Rose Garden: “It’s so great to have you here. A place we were never able to use because of the condition of the soil.” He said it is now the hottest place in the country. “Should we put on a little music? Yes? This way you don’t have to talk to each other…
From David SmithSent Monday, July 6, 2026 12:23 PM
POTUS defended his White House ballroom plans. “We had King Charles here. Everybody wanted to be here. We couldn’t hold everybody. “… It’s also able to hold the inauguration…. Bullet proof, drone proof, missile proof in many cases.” He noted that President Xi is coming before the end of September. “What we need is a big ballroom that can hold thousands of people.” He noted that China has one. POTUS rejected criticis…