Tag: White House

  • White House Reacts As Gunmen Kill US Embassy Officials In Nigeria

    White House Reacts As Gunmen Kill US Embassy Officials In Nigeria

    The White House has confirmed that no American citizen was killed as gunmen ambushed a US Embassy convoy in Nigeria on Tuesday, killing four people.

    Those who died include two personnel from the US consulate and two police officers.

    The attack took place in the Amiyi/Eke Ochuche communities in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state.

    “No US citizens were involved and therefore there were no US citizens hurt.

    “We are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed,” John Kirby of the US National Security Council said.

    The spokesperson for the Anambra Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, also revealed that the assailants “made away with two police operatives and a driver of the second vehicle in the convoy.”

    Ikenga confirmed that joint security forces “have embarked on a rescue and recovery operation in the area.”

  • Trump leaves letter at the White House for Joe Biden before leaving

    Trump leaves letter at the White House for Joe Biden before leaving

    It has been confirmed that Donald Trump left a letter for President-elect Joe Biden before departing the White House for the last time as US President despite breaking one of the traditions of transfer of power between presidents by skipping Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

    White spokesperson Judd Deere confirmed on Wednesday that Trump had written a letter to President-elect Joe Biden and left it for him in the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk.

    The Trump White House did not divulge the contents of what Trump left for Biden to read as Presidents usually leave a note of congratulations and support behind in the Oval Office.

    The White House did not release contents of Trump’s note: “It’s a letter between 45 and 46,” Deere said.

    In 2017, Trump received a letter from President Barack Obama wishing him and his administration good fortune and urging him to ensure that the “instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.”

    “We are just temporary occupants of this office,” President Barack Obama wrote. “That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions – like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties – that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it’s up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.”

  • #InaugurationDay: Trump departs White House in final hours as president

    #InaugurationDay: Trump departs White House in final hours as president

    President Donald Trump departed the White House by helicopter just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday, on his way to a ceremonial send-off at Joint Base Andrews for his final day in office.

    Trump told gathered reporters it had been a great honor and an amazing four years. Breaking with decades of tradition, Trump will not participate in the peaceful transition of power and is skipping the inauguration.

    “We’ve had an amazing four years,” Trump said.

    He will speak with gathered supporters before boarding Air Force One for the last time as president, en route to his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.


    The outgoing president typically departs shortly after the incoming president is sworn in. But Trump, who fought bitterly to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is skipping President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, instead opting to orchestrate his own fanfare-filled exit while he is still commander-in-chief.


    Trump had the red carpet rolled out for himself at the military airfield, where a rally-like setup – complete with blasting music, American flags, and banners were set-up for his departure.

    Outgoing presidents typically travel home on special air mission jets, but Trump wanted to fly home on Air Force One. As he is still president, he will travel with the nuclear codes.

    Meanwhile inside the White House, staffers and movers are finalizing the transition of the residence and West Wing, packing up and disinfecting, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, ahead of the Biden administration’s arrival shortly after noon.

  • Biden names all-female senior White House communications team, the first in US history

    Biden names all-female senior White House communications team, the first in US history

    Ahead of their January 20 swearing-in, US President elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris have sought to inject diversity in their appointments and nominations so far, as they have announced an all-female senior White House communications team, a first in the country’s history.

    Among those named to be part of the communications team on Sunday was Jen Psaki who will serve as White House press secretary.

    Psaki, aged 41, was communications director for former President Barack Obama’s administration.


    “I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women,” Biden said in a statement on Sunday November 29

    “These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”

    In addition to Psaki, six other appointments were announced including Kate Bedingfield, who was Biden’s deputy campaign manager, as White House communications director, Ashley Etienne as communications director for Harris and Symone Sanders as Harris’s senior adviser and chief spokesperson.

    Pili Tobar was named deputy White House communications director and Karine Jean-Pierre will be principal deputy press secretary.

    Other appointees include Elizabeth Alexander who was named communications director for incoming First Lady Jill Biden.

    These appointments do not require Senate confirmation.

    Biden has also named the first female head of intelligence and the first Latino chief of Homeland Security.

    The president-elect has sought to move swiftly to assemble his team, despite President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede his loss in the November 3 election and continued baseless claims of voter fraud.

  • Trump Immediately evacuated following shooting near White House

    Trump Immediately evacuated following shooting near White House

    President Donald Trump was on Monday hurriedly evacuated from where he was giving a press conference following the shooting of a man near the White House by the US Secret Service agents.

    The agents stated that the man who was wounded was apparently armed.

    The suspect, 51-year-old, approached a Secret Service officer standing at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, one block from the White House, according to Tom Sullivan, the chief of the Secret Service Uniformed Division.

    The suspect told the officer he had a weapon and ran “aggressively” towards him, drawing an object out of his clothes, Mr. Sullivan said in a statement that was broadcast on Twitter.

    He then assumed a “shooter’s stance” as if he intended to fire, whereupon the Secret Service officer shot him in the torso, Mr. Sullivan added.

    Officers on the scene administered first aid, and emergency medical services were called. Both the suspect and the officer were taken to hospital.

    “The Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility will be conducting an internal review of the officer’s actions,” Mr. Sullivan said, adding the DC Metropolitan Police Department had been contacted.

  • UN expert accuses White House of ‘onslaught’ against media

    UN expert accuses White House of ‘onslaught’ against media

    The UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression on Monday accused the White House of mounting an “onslaught” against the media and referred to a negative “Trump effect” on global press freedom.

    In his last official press briefing before his six-year tenure ends later this month, David Kaye said in a series of forthright comments that he hoped “attacks” on U.S. journalists would end when President Donald Trump leaves office.

    “Clearly, the signature issue over the past four years now has been the way in which this particular president addresses the media, the way he denigrates the media and denigrates freedom of expression,’’ he told journalists in Geneva.

    Kaye specified that the so-called onslaught consisted of criticism of reporters and spreading “disinformation” as well as partnerships with conservative media organisations.

    “No other administration has been as transparent as President Trump’s and we expect all of the news to be fair and accurate,’’ White House spokesman, Judd Deere, told Reuters in a statement.

    “This President is not going to back down from calling out lies.’’

    When Kaye was asked about the impact of that on press freedom around the world, the special rapporteur said: “There clearly is a Trump effect, a very negative one’’, adding that previous U.S. administrations had been more critical of attacks on the press, such as the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

    He added that the Trump administration has created a global culture of permissiveness.

    Kaye also raised broad concerns about government crackdowns that has worsened with the COVID-19 pandemic in a trend he described as “very disturbing” and contributing to the spread of the disease.

    “Unfortunately, often under the guise of trying to restrict disinformation, governments have resorted to old tools of clamping down on the free flow of information,’’ he said, without naming specific countries.

    He was also critical of China’s “highly repressive approach to freedom of expression’’ and urged resistance to this approach. (Reuters/NAN)