| | | | | President Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron return to the White House Sunday after a trip to Florida over Thanksgiving. Credit: Chris Kleponis/Pool/Getty Images | | | Trump's First Holiday: the White House decorations are up and unveiled and they're all Melania
ICYMI, Life After "Hope": Wonder whatever happened to the artist who did the iconic Obama "Hope" poster? Hunter tracked him down
Dictionary.com's Word of the Year: hint, it's not Covfefe | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump lunches today at the White House with Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Senate Finance Committee. Later he meets in the Oval Office with Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
The showdown over at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where basically two people went to work today and both thought they were doing the top job at the agency -- like musical chairs, but with government, and lawsuits.
Also, post-Thanksgiving press briefings resume today, scheduled for 2pm.
Drama Ensues:
The CFPB situation is complicated, but this primer should help. Essentially, the acting director, Leandra English, last night filed a lawsuit trying to stop Mick Mulvaney, whom Trump appointed to become director, from assuming the position. Essentially it's a standoff, but both showed up at work today. English says back off, Mulvaney says skidaddle -- Mulvaney late this morning sent a memo to staff telling them to "disregard" anything coming from English, and the CFPB communications person tweeted a pic of Mulvaney in a staff meeting. Just another day in the DC.
Trump Questions the Authenticity of The "Access Hollywood" Tape:
Um, yeah. The New York Times reported Trump is speculating about the authenticity of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape where he's caught on mic with Billy Bush saying all of those things that I really don't want to go over again here. However, lest we forget, Trump did admit hours after the tape was released that he said it, and he apologized. | | Hey, But There's Mistletoe at the White House, So:
I toured the White House holiday decorations this morning with a group of media -- and let's just say it's a lot different than last year. This year's decor, which was selected and designed by Melania Trump, has an air of sophistication and understated elegance, I would say. The final Obama White House holiday was much more in the way of "stuff," and abundance -- it felt more casual and comfy. That's my highly unscientific analysis. You're welcome.
Seriously, though, there were some nice touches, like the Red Room's peppermint candy theme, and the trees covered in "snow" in the Grand Foyer (I overheard a staff member say the housekeeping crew was "freaking out" about the fake flakes getting everywhere), and the annual White House gingerbread house this year is a precise replica of the South Facade, complete with mini-wreaths on all the windows. But I noticed a new addition in the doorways of the Green Room: hanging mistletoe. | | Credit: Kate Bennett
I posted this pic on Twitter and my @'s went crazy, feel free to read the threads. A lot of people feel that because of Trump's aforementioned "Access Hollywood" situation, hanging "kiss me" bouquets isn't a good idea, which I personally think is a stupid response but Twitter gonna Twitter.
Barron Trump Makes His (Illustrated) Debut:
Another thing I noticed was in the holiday decorations booklet, which every visitor will get when they pass through the White House tour in the month of December. The "star" of the booklet's illustrations is clearly Barron Trump, who in this drawing is reaching for one of the green books that make up the "tree" in the White House Library. | | Credit: Kate Bennett
Our Daily Melania:
She's all about the decorations today. This morning she gave a private tour to children of military personnel stationed at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews. | | Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
Dictionary.com's Word of the Year:
Because of course it is. | | | Credit: @dictionarycom/Twitter | | What Washington is Talking About:
Congress returns from its Thanksgiving break to growing sexual harassment allegations in both chambers. In the House, Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, stepped down from his leadership position on the Judiciary Committee Sunday. In the Senate, Minnesota Democrat Al Franken made his first remarks in eight days Sunday in an interview with his home state paper the Star Tribune, saying that although he is "ashamed," he will return to work today.
What America is Talking About:
It's Cyber Monday, so your inbox is probably littered with promotional emails. Thanks for fishing Kate and I out of that mess. Also, we have a new royal wedding on the horizon. And an Arkansas couple that ate at Olive Garden every day for about six or seven weeks after buying a Never-Ending Pasta Pass in 2015 is naming their daughter Olivia Garten. They thought she would be bullied if they named her "Olive," Jordan Garten told ABC. "We were able to make the joke, but a little more subtle, and it's still a pretty name," he said. Amazing.
Life After "Hope":
My profile of street artist Shepard Fairey published while I was gone. You can read it here. The Obama "Hope" portrait creator told me then-President Obama invited him and his family to the Oval Office the day after the election and that he doesn't like making art of Trump because he's a "negative-energy amoeba" who grows stronger the more you hate him.
As I do with all my long reads, I'm printing off a paper copy to send to my grandma to make sure she can read it; if you want, I'll send you a paper copy, too. Email me your street address at coverlinehunter@cnn.com.
Shepard on How to Reclaim Pepe:
One detail that didn't make it into my final story: I asked Fairey his thoughts on how to reclaim Pepe, the cartoon frog artist Matt Furie created that the so-called "alt right" has reinterpreted as a political and hate symbol. "It's tough," Fairey told me. Once symbols become associated with something, it can be hard to shake it off. "You just can't really get it back." He said a lot of his work deals with symbolism while also questioning the use of symbols.
"I think we're all very conditioned to respond to symbols but I'm asking people to at the same time not just accept symbols at face value because I think that can be a tool of manipulation. But you know, it's the language we speak. I'd love to see things that have been used in negative ways lose their power, whether it's the Confederate flag or the swastika or the N-word, I'd love it if those things would kind of just blow away like particles in the wind when they were used because people just don't allow them to be what the hateful person is trying to use them for. We're emotional creatures, so I think it's really hard to remove the sting of history from anything."
One example of a symbol associated frequently with the right that he tries to use in his work is the American flag.
"I think the flag should be a much more open-ended symbol. I love the way it was used in the Vietnam War, inside the peace fingers. I've used the American flag in the Muslim women's hijab in the "We The People" series and I've used the American flag in other things I've done as a symbol for the diversity of America and that there is such a latitude for interpretation of that symbol that it can't just be hijacked by the right wing." | | Credit: Thomas Sampson/AFP/Getty Images
Hope Hicks Facing Mueller:
Our Jeremy Diamond has a great longread on Hope Hicks, the 29-year-old former model and daughter of a former NFL executive who's risen to become White House communications director and a trusted confidante to Trump. She knows the job "is all about Mr. Trump," wisdom she sometimes shares with incoming staffers, a former top campaign staffer said. She has found herself being already questioned or soon-to-be questioned by Robert Mueller's special council because of her close relationship with Trump.
Trumpettes Celebrating One Year of Trump:
The Trumpettes, a pro-Trump group led by superfan and Mar-a-Lago member Toni Holt Kramer, pictured below, is hosting an 800-person, $300-per-seat party at Trump's Palm Beach club in January to commemorate his first year in office. Meanwhile, other groups are fleeing, with at least 19, including the Red Cross, cancelling events there this year. Kramer told the Washington Post, "I don't think any president has ever had such a rough nine months." | | Credit: The Washington Post
Gorka Strikes a Pose:
Former Trump administration adviser Sebastian Gorka sat for a photoshoot and glowing wet kiss of a profile for gun lifestyle magazine Recoil. This photo is my favorite. Truly, wow. | | Credit: Mike Morones for Recoil
LaVar Ball Promotes His Sneakers Responding to Trump:
The celebrity basketball dad told TMZ a pair of his Big Baller Brand ZO2s would help Trump calm down. ESPN's Darren Rovell estimated Ball received $13.2 million in free advertising for his Big Baller Brand by last Wednesday because of his feud with Trump. This is like the Kardashians meets Sports Center meets C-SPAN.
Eminem Doesn't Understand Why Trump Isn't Paying Attention to Him:
Tbh, I've also been wondering why Trump hasn't chosen to respond to Eminem after his scathing freestyle rap criticizing him that aired on BET in October. "I feel like he's not paying attention to me," Eminem told Sirius XM channel Shade 45. "I was kind of waiting for him to say something and for some reason, he didn't say anything."
Instas for Ivanka:
Sophia Amoruso is the founder of the fashion brand Nasty Gal, author of the book "#GirlBoss," and one of 1,117 accounts Ivanka Trump follows on Instagram. Amoruso posted a message to Ivanka on Instagram on THANKSGIVING asking her to support the Clean Dream Act. Ivanka still follows. Several other accounts Ivanka follows also posted the image, including model Cara Delevingne and actress Sophia Bush. | | Credit: @sophiaamoruso/Instagram
Street Art Sighting:
Lebanese graffiti artists and twins Mohamed and Omar Kabbani painted "salam," the Arabic word for peace, in green paint across the rooftops of 85 structures in Tripoli, Lebanon. | | Credit: Firas Chehabeddine Photography
Send your political street art pics to me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com, tweet me @hunterschwarz or tag @cnncoverline on Instagram. | | | | | | |
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