Latest news with #USSecretService
Otago Daily Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Trump plans $340m White House ballroom
After paving over the Rose Garden and adding gold leaf in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump will embark on his most dramatic addition to the White House yet: a new, multimillion-dollar ballroom to be built adjacent to the mansion's East Wing. Trump, a former real estate developer with a penchant for decorating, has long complained the White House lacked a large-scale ballroom for entertaining. The White House on Thursday announced plans to break ground in September on the project, which could prove to be the most extensive one since Harry Truman completed an entire renovation in 1952. The White House was originally finished in 1800 and partially rebuilt after being burned by the British during the War of 1812. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that work on the 8360 sq m facility will be completed "long before" Trump's four-year term ends in January 2029. The $US200 million ($NZ340 million) cost of the ballroom, which will be able to seat 650 people, will be donated by Trump and other donors, she said. Presidents have used the intimate State Dining Room for events, as well as the larger East Room for bigger VIP lists, and sometimes will have a tent temporarily constructed on the South Lawn to host big dinners. "When it rains, it's a disaster," Trump said of the tents when asked about the new ballroom on Thursday. Trump's home at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, has a grand ballroom and a smaller one, both with glittering chandeliers and white walls decorated with gold flourishes. The Republican president has been determined to put his stamp on the executive mansion. He installed gold-filigreed decorations in the Oval Office and erected giant flagpoles on the north and south lawns. The Rose Garden is currently a construction site with the grass uprooted and replaced by a concrete patio of the type Trump enjoys at Mar-a-Lago. Trump first offered to build a $US100 million ballroom at the White House back in 2010, an offer to then-President Barack Obama that went unanswered. The East Wing of the White House will be "modernised" as part of the project. Offices there, including the one used by First Lady Melania Trump, will be temporarily relocated, Leavitt said. As if to reassure traditionalists, the White House said the theme and architectural heritage will be "almost identical" to the rest of the house. It said Trump in recent weeks held meetings with members of the White House staff, the National Park Service, the White House Military Office and the US Secret Service to discuss design features and planning. "It'll be a great legacy project," Trump said on Thursday.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Insider
I toured the train car presidents used for travel before Air Force One. Climb aboard the 'White House on wheels.'
Long before there was an Air Force One, US presidents traveled the country aboard a 10-foot-wide train car. Rebuilt in 1942 for presidential use, the Ferdinand Magellan, also known as US Car No. 1, was the president's official mode of transportation between 1943 and 1954. Made with detailed security features and enlarged spaces for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the height of World War II, the armored car became the heaviest railcar ever built in the US, and today, it is the only passenger train car to ever be declared a National Historic Landmark. The Ferdinand Magellan allowed the president to continue his duties in comfort while on the move. It often traveled with other cars dedicated to radio communications, White House staffers, and members of the press. Take a look inside the "White House on wheels" that predates Air Force One. US Car No. 1 was presented to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in December 1942. On December 18, 1942, the Pullman Company presented a luxury train car that had been rebuilt at the request of the US Secret Service, which had determined that the president needed a secure way to travel during wartime. Roosevelt most often used the car to travel from Washington, DC, to his home in Hyde Park, New York. The president insisted on not surpassing a speed of 35 miles per hour when traveling aboard the Ferdinand Magellan, making his journeys less efficient and heightening security measures, per the White House Historical Association website. He last rode the car on March 30, 1945, when he visited his Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia, where he died a few weeks later. During his time, the president rode over 50,000 miles aboard the presidential train car. It was most famously used in 1948 during Harry Truman's "whistle-stop" campaign tour. While the car was built with Roosevelt in mind, including certain designs that would allow him to use a wheelchair on the train, it was his successor, President Harry S. Truman, who used it the most. The president, who, unlike Roosevelt, opted for a speed of 80 miles per hour, employed the car in his iconic 35-day whistle-stop tour during his reelection campaign in 1948, where he delivered 356 speeches from the back of the Magellan, per Architectural Digest. By the time Truman's successor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, took office, more efficient air travel was starting to replace rail travel, and the US Car No. 1 was used for the last time in 1954. The car was last used by Ronald Reagan during a commemorative whistle-stop tour in Ohio in 1984. In 1984, Reagan brought the Magellan out of retirement for a one-day whistle-stop tour through Ohio during his reelection campaign. The president traveled from Dayton to Perrysburg and stopped at five locations to give speeches from the rear platform of the presidential car. Today, the US Car No. 1 sits in a small museum near Zoo Miami. In 1959, the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, Florida, acquired the car, which had been declared surplus and donated to the Smithsonian — which had no way to store it — in 1958. Since then, the car has stayed in South Florida, where it is now open to the public. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. A regular adult ticket for the museum costs $12, and tickets for the presidential train car cost an additional $10. To carry the president, the unique armored car had enhanced security features. The car, which is 84 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 15 feet tall, was covered with over 1/2 an inch of nickel-steel armor on its sides and featured 3-inch-thick bulletproof glass windows. It was also the heaviest train car built in the US. After it was refurbished for presidential use, the train car weighed 285,000 pounds, making it much heavier than modern-day war tanks, which often weigh around 100,000 pounds. The car also had its name, Ferdinand Magellan, removed from its sides in an effort to conceal the president's presence, although its design often stood out. Other security features included two escape hatches and a complex security protocol, which included diverting traffic on the rails to ensure that no train traveled ahead or behind the president for at least 30 minutes. Operating under the code name POTUS, the president's train always had the right of way. Passengers boarded from the front of the train, which housed the staff quarters and kitchen. In the kitchen, an onboard chef had access to ovens and refrigerators. The train's dedicated chef prepared the president and guests' meals inside this kitchen. On the other side of the kitchen, the staff had pantry space to plate the dishes. The kitchen was also equipped with a pantry and a full-size metal sink. The car housed two staff members: one chef and one porter. Near the kitchen, a chef and a porter had sleeping quarters that featured an upper and lower berth. The dining and conference room was in the main cabin of the car. The presidential car's main cabin featured a 6-foot solid mahogany table where the president and his guests — often diplomats or foreign leaders — could gather for dinners or meetings. The dining room had its own set of presidential china. Today, the room displays an example of the glass used in the car's windows. The 3-inch-thick laminated bulletproof glass windows were installed when the car was refurbished for the president's use. The windows were sealed, so to keep the car ventilated there was a simple form of air conditioning in which fans pushed air cooled by blocks of ice. The car included two guest bedrooms along with a presidential suite. The first of two guest bedrooms aboard the US Car No. 1, Stateroom D, included an upper and lower berth, where guests could sleep, and an in-room bathroom. In these guest rooms, Truman welcomed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during his visit to the US in 1946, during which he delivered his iconic Iron Curtain speech. The presidential suite included the president's sleeping area. Designed to accommodate Franklin D. Roosevelt's wheelchair, the president's room included a full-size bed, a dresser, and an in-room toilet. Like most rooms in the car, it was also connected to a telephone, which was extremely rare at the time. The connecting bathroom inside the presidential suite had a bathtub, a toilet, and a sink. The presidential suite bathroom, equipped with a bathtub, toilet, and sink, connected the president's and the first lady 's rooms, staterooms B and C. The bathroom also contained an escape hatch, which was added as a security measure during the car's refurbishing. The first lady's room paralleled the president's. The secondary guest bedroom could also be used as a breakfast or gathering room. Located towards the back of the car, Stateroom A, the second guest room aboard the Magellan, featured convertible berths, like the other guest room, that could also be used as a breakfast, gathering, or office space for the president or his guests. The upper berth could be raised into the ceiling, and the lower one could be converted into a sitting booth with a pull-out table. The presidential car was often attached to train cars housing Secret Service, White House staffers, and the press. The Ferdinand Magellan functioned as a White House on wheels, and was often attached to train cars dedicated to Secret Service, White House staffers, and reporters traveling with the president. The US Car No. 1 was also often accompanied by two communications cars equipped with control consoles for radio broadcasts and telegraph communications so the president could be reached while he was on the move, per Atlas Obscura. A narrow hallway led from the staterooms to the observation deck. A slim, wood-paneled hallway led from the four staterooms to the observation deck at the rear of the car. The observation lounge featured some of the presidential car's original furniture. The observation room was also enlarged during the refurbishing of the car, allowing it to function as a secondary gathering room for the president and his guests. During the refurbishment, a submarine escape hatch was added to the car. Part of the car's security modifications included the addition of escape hatches, like this submarine hatch on the observation lounge. Today, the observation lounge shows signs of hurricane damage that the car has sustained. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, and among its many damages were some sustained by the Magellan. Although minor, a small window crack shows how the presidential car has stood the test of time. Traveling presidents could address crowds from a podium on the car's rear platform. At the end of the presidential car was an exposed podium from where the president often addressed crowds. During Truman's whistle-stop tour, he spoke from the podium repeatedly, often addressing crowds in different cities within the same day. The preserved train car stands as a remnant of US history and of how presidents spread their message. Inactive as the president's main form of transportation for over 70 years, the Ferdinand Magellan stands as a memory of America's past. However, our tour guide pointed out that the car is still on a track connected to current-day railroads and can be requested for use at any moment by the sitting US president. Although I doubt Donald Trump would want to travel aboard the historic cabin, a modern-day president going on his own whistle-stop tour on US Car No. 1 remains a possibility.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Secret Service agent tried to smuggle wife on Trump's Scotland trip
A US Secret Service agent tried to smuggle his wife on President Donald Trump's trip to Scotland, it has been reported. The law enforcement agency has launched an investigation into the incident. Reports said the agent, who is based in Dallas, Texas, flew his wife, a member of the US air force, to Maryland where she was among those who received a full briefing from top agency officials about the five-day working holiday. The woman travelled on the bus to the visitor lounge at US military base Joint Base Andrews before her identity was discovered and she was asked to leave. Reports said the agent had not been seeking to place his wife on Air Force One with the president, but rather on a support plane containing staff and equipment. The Secret Service did not immediately respond to questions from The Telegraph. 'No impact to protective operation' Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service spokesperson, said in a statement: 'The US Secret Service is conducting a personnel investigation after an employee attempted to invite his spouse – a member of the United States air force – aboard a mission support flight. 'The aircraft, operated by the US air force, was being used by the Secret Service to transport personnel and equipment.' He added: 'Prior to the overseas departure, the employee was advised by supervisors that such action was prohibited, and the spouse was subsequently prevented from taking the flight. No Secret Service protectees were aboard and there was no impact to our overseas protective operation.' News of the potential security breach came as Mr Trump wrapped up his visit to Scotland, opening a new course, the Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen, where he played 18 holes. He also spoke with John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland. On Monday, Mr Trump held meetings and hosted a press conference with Sir Keir Starmer.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Did Secret Service agent protecting Trump try to smuggle wife to Scotland? Here's the shocking truth
The US Secret Service has launched an investigation after one of its agent attempted to get his wife onto a support jet flying to Scotland with President Donald Trump. President Donald Trump visited Scotland on a five-day trip.(AP) The wife of an agent from a Dallas facility was found at Joint facility Andrews' prestigious visitor lounge, where Air Force One and other military planes take off. She went with her husband to Maryland and attended an official Secret Service country briefing at a hotel. She the boarded a bus with her husband to Joint Base Andrews, where she was found and told to leave.. The agent 'can wash out if held to proper standards, according to two sources in the Secret Service community,' Secret Service sources told Crabtree. Also Read: Trump breaks silence on reports he's seeking 'Summit' with Chinese President Xi Jinping; 'I may go to China, but…' Secret Service launches personnel investigation The Secret Service later issued a statement saying that it was investigating the incident. 'The U.S. Secret Service is conducting a personnel investigation after an employee attempted to invite his spouse — a member of the United States Air Force — aboard a mission support flight,' the agency said. 'The aircraft, operated by the U.S. Air Force, was being used by the Secret Service to transport personnel and equipment. Prior to the overseas departure, the employee was advised by supervisors that such action was prohibited, and the spouse was subsequently prevented from taking the flight. No Secret Service protectees were aboard and there was no impact to our overseas protective operations.' Trump, who left for Scotland on Friday, will return to Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday. The POTUS always travels with a number of support planes on Air Force One in a bid to get staff and agents on the ground and to arrange for the presidential limos and helicopters. Did Trump react over 'weird' incident? Speaking to reporters on his way back to Washington, Trump reacted to the news saying, 'Wouldn't you think it might be a little dangerous?' Calling it a 'weird deal,' the President acknowledged that he was made aware of the situation and said he was confident that agency director Sean M. Curran would 'take care of it.'
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Russia Today
Trump followed by ‘armored' golf cart (PHOTOS)
The US Secret Service has introduced a new armored escort vehicle – a modified Polaris Ranger dubbed by the press as 'Golf Force One' – to shadow President Donald Trump during golf outings, with the vehicle first sighted at his Turnberry course in Scotland. The all-black, military-style buggy trailed Trump while he played on the expansive golf links over the weekend. Although Trump himself rode in a standard golf cart, the armored Ranger followed closely behind. The vehicle reportedly features armored panels, tinted bulletproof windows, and visibly reinforced rear sections – a level of protection unusual for golf outings. Security experts noted its light frame allows for high mobility across grassy terrain while offering ballistic defense in case of crisis. NEW: Armor plated 'Golf Force One' spotted with President Trump at the golf security measures are being deployed to protect Trump, even on the golf course, according to the Telegraph.'Mr Trump's team deployed an additional security measure in the form of a… According to The War Zone, the vehicle is based on the Polaris Ranger XP 1000, a widely used utility terrain vehicle (UTV) designed for off-road transportation by law enforcement and military agencies. A Polaris spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the vehicle was manufactured by the company but heavily modified by a third party. 🚨⛳️🪖 #LOOK — President Donald Trump has a new heavily armoured golf cart dubbed "Golf Force One" which followed him as he played Turnberry. Public procurement data suggests that one such outfitter is the Chicago-based company Scaletta Armoring. According to the US General Services Administration (GSA) website, the armor package alone carries a unit price of nearly $190,000 – far exceeding the base price of a standard Ranger, which retails for around $20,000. The Secret Service said it 'employs a variety of tools and resources to safeguard our protectees' but refused to 'discuss the specific means and methods used to conduct our protective operations.' Security around Trump has intensified following an assassination attempt last year. As the then-candidate addressed supporters at a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman fired roughly eight shots at him, one of which grazed Trump's ear. Secret Service agents also foiled another alleged plot to kill Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course last September, after spotting a man armed with a rifle hiding in bushes near the course. The suspect, a pro-Ukraine activist named Ryan Wesley Routh, is expected to face trial in September.
