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News & Politics

UPDATE: The White House Switchboard Isn’t Closed, but Its Comments Line Is

You can always message the President on Facebook.

Written by Rosa Cartagena
| Published on January 23, 2017
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A Bell System switchboard in 1943. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

If you were planning to voice your concerns directly to President Trump, today is not the day. The White House’s comment line where you can “Call the President” is closed. Instead, a recorded message asks you to consider contacting him online, using Facebook.

“The comment line is currently closed but your comment is important to the President and we urge you to send us a comment online at www.whitehouse.gov/contact or send us a message through Facebook messenger,” the automated message directs. If you were hoping to reach the switchboard, you need to call from a rotary dial phone. Typically, this switchboard has a staff of operators who can assist callers who want to leave messages for the President and contact his staff. A White House employee told Washingtonian the comments line has been closed since December but the switchboard is still open to take callers using rotary-dial phones.

Correction: A previous version of this article said the White House switchboard was closed. This was incorrect. The White House comments line is closed while the switchboard line is still available for calls coming from a rotary phone.

More: Donald TrumpFacebookWhite House
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Rosa Cartagena

Rosa is a senior editor at Bitch Magazine. She’s written for Washingtonian and Smithsonian magazine.

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