By Buck Sexton
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It was about the only invitation imaginable that would have gotten me on the ghost train from Manhattan to D.C. And now here we are in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, and the leader of the free world wanted to have a chat with me once again... It was about the only invitation imaginable that would have gotten me on the ghost train from Manhattan to D.C. I counted less than 10 people on my Amtrak train heading south, all with masks on. I appreciated the quiet, but not the palpably eerie anxiety at both Penn and Union Stations. To my surprise, D.C. was shut down even more than New York City. Finding a coffee in advance of my meeting with POTUS contents of those discussions remain highly classified, I can tell you that Cheney was more cordial to me than I expected, and Bush was somewhat less so – though, I think he warmed up to me during round two. It certainly never occurred to me then that almost exactly a decade later, in the fall of 2018, I would return to the Oval Office as a television host for the political website thehill.com, engaged in a formal journalism interview with President Trump.
(once you get deep enough inside the Capital Beltway, that’s how most refer to the man) was a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the only two cities I’ve ever called home into an economic coma. Upon my arrival at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the White House grounds were thankfully abuzz with activity. There was an “initial screening” tent set up for visitors that I went through, with reminders posted about the symptoms of COVID-19. Once past that, I went downstairs in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for an actual COVID-19 test. Once I was declared officially negative for the virus, it was a quick walk across to the West Wing and into the Oval Office with President Donald John Trump. “There he is, the best hair on TV!” the leader of the free world proclaimed as I crossed the Oval’s threshold. What can I say, the man respects follicular fortitude. President Trump greeted me warmly, posed for a photo, and then sat me down in a chair as he took his place behind the Resolute desk. It was just the two of us in there for more than 30 minutes, talking about a wide range of subjects... from national security to life in New York City and the nation’s economic future. Apparently, he also likes my radio show and my Twitter commentary. Some of our talk was of a personal nature, and other parts of it were, at the President’s request,
American Consequences
89
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