Good Thursday morning. President Trump is taking an ax to slats. In a series of tweets this morning, Trump doubled down his preferred nomenclature on a proposed structure along the southern border of the US. No longer is “fence” or “steel slats” acceptable: “Lets just call them WALLS from now on and stop playing political games! A WALL is a WALL!” Okay, but just last week adviser Kellyanne Conway told CNN White House reporter Abby Phillip: “I’m asking why you and the polling questions, respectfully, are still saying ‘wall’ when the president said you can call it whatever you want.”
So great to watch & listen to all these people who write books & talk about my presidential campaign and so many others things related to winning, and how I should be doing “IT.” As I take it all in, I then sit back, look around, & say “gee, I’m in the White House, & they’re not!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2019
Hello, I’m your author, Brittany Shepherd. Email me with comments or questions and follow me on Twitter. Sign up for this newsletter here.
Cutting checks: Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley‘s requesting $200,000 fees plus private airfare for domestic speaking engagements, according to CNBC.
Please watch the National Zoo’s naked mole rat cam. Because you need it this morning.
What we have cooking at Washingtonian:
- What happens when your partner has separate lives with two other lovers? This Navy Yard resident found out the hard way.
- Do you think this family would mind if I lived in their underground wine cellar?
- Missed our Washingtonian Weddings event? Feed your FOMO with this photo gallery.
Our pick for things to do around town:
BOOKS What’s so special about Mar-A-Lago? Laurence Leamer profiles the president’s ritzy getaway in his new book Mar-A-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump’s Presidential Palace. Leamer goes back to Trump’s entry into Palm Beach society in the early 1980s and follows his frictions with the locals and the development of his property into an exclusive resort. Leamer will speak at Politics and Prose. Free, 7 PM.
Good reads:
Sarah Sanders speaks with CBN’s David Brody and Jennifer Wishon and questions the value of the current White House briefing: “I think if the briefing loses purpose and it isn’t a good resource for the American people to get information and answers to real questions then you do have to wonder if that’s the best form in order to put a message out.” She also says God chose Donald Trump to be president. (CBN)
Big events from Washingtonian
Okay, you’ve had a week to go over our 100 Very Best Restaurants list (or at least the Top 25 online). Join Ann Limpert to discuss it tomorrow at 11 AM.
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Brittany Shepherd covers the societal and cultural scene in political Washington. Before joining Washingtonian as a staff writer in 2018, Brittany was a White House Correspondent for Independent Journal Review. While she has lived in DC for a number of years now, she still yearns for the fresh Long Island bagels of home. Find her on Twitter, often prattling on about Frasier.
