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President Donald Trump walked a political chasm Tuesday night when he personally welcomed George W. Bush, his occasional opportunity, to Blair House, the presidential guest district on Pennsylvania Avenue of the White House.
only 250 meters – a road that Trump and his wife, Melania, traveled through in the presidential parade limo, with a procession of at least seven other vehicles.
The Trumps spent 23 minutes visiting Bush and his wife, Laura, during a cordial meeting. in which the former president exchanged kisses on the cheek with the current first lady at the curb.
This is the latest in a series of magnanimous gestures that President Trump has made this week to honor the legacy of former President George HW. Bush, whose funeral will be held at the National Cathedral on Wednesday.
The necessity of the motorcade, however, raised questions and sparked speculation about why the Trumps were unable – or unwilling – to simply cross the street.
"The presidents, including the last, have already made the move," said Ned Price, spokesman for the National Security Council in the Obama administration.
"Bone spurs?" Sam Vinograd, a CNN political analyst and also a former veteran of Obama's National Security, jokes on Twitter about Trump's explanation on his postponement of the Vietnam War Project.
In an email, Price pointed President Barack Obama at the head of Chinese President Xi Jinping. from the White House to Blair House after a private dinner during Xi's state visit in September 2015. He also was reminded of another occasion, a year ago, when Denis McDonough, Chief of Staff of the White House, had left the White House for a brief stay in the region. Starbucks, with Obama jokingly tells reporters that "the bear is loose" – a reference to his 2008 campaign when he felt confined by his new secret service bubble.
"It's a good coffee.The President has bought it," recalled Price to McDonough. him when they returned to the White House.
On Tuesday, Trump's motorcade was taking West Executive Drive between the White House and the Eisenhower Administration Building. The iron security gates of Pennsylvania Avenue opened and the presidential limousine turned left, stopping a few meters later in front of Blair House, an imposing white-brick house with black shutters.
Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park had been cleared of everything. pedestrians, who usually gather in front of the White House for photos or demonstrations, as is customary when foreign leaders or other dignitaries stay at Blair House.
Presidential processions generally encompass more than a dozen vehicles, including counter-intelligence teams. , medical staff, White House assistants and the press corps. In this case, reporters monitoring Trump's movements had been positioned in advance across the street from Blair House and were not in the motorcade, which contained at least eight vehicles, according to the video sequence.
Tuesday's weather was cloudy and cold. but there was no rain. President Trump was the only one of the four to wear an overcoat.
The White House advisers refused to comment when asked why the Trumps chose to take a motorcade.
Obama often employed a full procession for short trips, including at a fundraiser at nearby hotels such as the Jefferson, just a few blocks from the White House. These trips involved the closure of roads in downtown Washington, sometimes during rush hours, resulting in exhausting night trips.
Like its predecessors, Trump also took advantage of the bright lighting of the National Christmas Tree, on the Ellipse – although the latter left it to one side. Pool behind after his speech when he returned to the White House with reporters stranded outside in freezing temperatures, reduced to tweeting their discontent. (The pool of 13 reporters, photographers and videographers from the White House has long monitored the US President to record his movements for the story and in case of emergency.)
According to a report from the pool, the Bush did not bring Trump's trumps back to the sidewalk after the private meeting at Blair House. Trump drove his wife to the limousine side and greeted the press representatives, but he did not answer their glaring questions as he was getting back in the vehicle for the short drive from his home.
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