In-town pool report #2: Trump on south lawn

President Trump exited the south portico at 9:50 a.m. to watch an 88-foot flag pole be raised by a crane on the south lawn. He is wearing a blue suit and white “Make America Great Again” ball cap.

He is still out here talking to us, but here’s so far:

Iran:

POTUS joked in response to a question about whether the US is moving closer to striking an Iranian nuclear facilities.

“‘Will you strike the Iranian nuclear component, and what time exactly, Sir? sir, would you strike it? Would you please inform us so we can be there and watch?’”

“I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.”

Have you given Iran an ultimatum?

“You could say so. Maybe you could call it the ultimate ultimatum.”

Declined to elaborate.

Scene from flag pole raising:

POTUS walked out and greeted the workers.

“Media, you’ve never seen media before? You’re lucky.

“This is about the largest you’ll ever see

I don’t know them but I love them, and I would bet that they all voted for Trump.

Trump said an identical one is going on the north lawn. “It’s such a beautiful pole.”

“These are the best poles anywhere in the country, in the world actually … I don’t know if you people are aesthetic.”

POTUS talked about a wide range of subjects.

“I got a call last night from Congress, ‘sir there’s a problem. Money is pouring in, we don’t know how to account for it.’” He advised the unknown person on the phone to “check the tariffs.”

(POTUS later said the call was three nights ago)

Trump spoke extensively about his displeasure with Jerome Powell.

“We have no inflation, we have only success. I’d like to see interest rates go down.

“I call him too late Powell because he’s always too late. He asked if he is allowed to appoint himself to the federal reserve

“I think he hates me, but that’s ok. I’ve been so nice to him, fellas … I do it every way in the book. I’m nasty, I’m nice. Nothing works.

The president shook the workers’ hands. Pool could not hear the rest of the discussion.

“I want to wish you a lot of luck with the new flag pole,” he said to press.

Big beautiful bill:

“Any senator that votes against it … I think they’ll be finished in politics.”

Deportations:

Asked about his comments about migrant farm workers and ICE’s changing guidance on whether to conduct deportation raids on farms, Trump said “we have to take care of our farmers, we have to take care of people who run leisure, hotels. Most importantly we have to get the criminals out of our country.”

On Biden:

“He had no idea what was going on. Everybody. It's other people. It's It's Lisa and this one, and all these people, all the scum that was around the oval the Oval Office, or around the beautiful resolute desk, telling this guy here, do this, do that, and not even tell him.”

More from flagpole:

Trump said each pole is costing him about $50,000.

Trump said “it’s very far” from where Marine One lands and takes off, when asked if it will cause any issues for the helicopter landing.

The white pole (“tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality,” Trump wrote last night) is topped with a gold/brass tinted finial.

There were several men in neon yellow shirts that read “F.W. Haxel” (the flag pole company) and “Williams Crane Service” (the crane company), as well as a man and woman in orange T-shirts that read Tattersall Tree Experts (the tree expert company). The male tree expert is wearing a go-pro on his helmet.

Prior to the flag raising, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced herself to the tree experts she was standing near, one of whom could be heard telling her she is “doing a great job.” She took a photo of them two of them posing in front of the White House.

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Natalie Allison

White House Reporter

The Washington Post