What I saw in the White House changed my view of Donald Trump

I spent much of last week in Washington, D.C., where I sat down for a remarkable interview with President Donald Trump. But what happened off the air left an even deeper impression on me.

I had interviewed the president before, but this trip was different. It marked my first visit to the White House during his second term. Washington moves at a dizzying pace, and nothing replaces being on the ground — speaking directly with the people pulling the levers — to grasp the full scale of what the Trump administration is achieving.

Behind all the headlines and controversies, a man is walking those halls who still can’t believe he gets to do so.

After our interview, the president invited my wife, Tania, and me into the Oval Office. To my surprise, he left us alone there for five whole minutes. No one gets left alone in the Oval Office — ever. I joked that we should look for that little hidden puzzle piece from the National Archives. But in all seriousness, we were sitting next to the original Declaration of Independence. It was surreal, like stepping into a sacred space of American history.

When he returned, the president smiled and said, “Nobody sits in here without me or someone else. But I knew you’d want to look around. I figured you’d be more comfortable by yourself.” That alone speaks volumes about how the president sees these moments — not as power trips, but as opportunities to share America’s story.

Visiting the Lincoln Bedroom

We talked about Abraham Lincoln, and when I told him I’d never been to the Lincoln Bedroom, he said, “Want to go?” He was already being summoned to a meeting with the National Security Council, but he turned to his aides and said, “Let them wait. I’m taking them upstairs.”

And he did.

He didn’t just take us upstairs — he took us on a full tour, room by room, through the White House. Every hallway, every portrait, every inch had meaning. But when we finally reached the Lincoln Bedroom, I was blown away. It’s not just a room. It’s a time capsule.

Lincoln’s original writing desk is there, along with one of only four handwritten copies of the Gettysburg Address. Two of those copies include the phrase “this nation under God” — one of those was in that room. Standing there, next to the bed Lincoln slept in and the words he wrote during America’s darkest days, I felt something spiritual. Something sacred.

As we were leaving, I said, “I know you’re Donald J. Trump, but …” And before I could finish, he looked at me and said, “Every day.” He knew what I was going to ask. “Every day, Glenn. I wake up and say, ‘I can’t believe I’m in this house.’”

Say what you will about the man, but that’s humility. That’s reverence for the office. It’s a side of him the media won’t show you.

A hidden restoration

He didn’t tell me this directly, but word has it that Hillary Clinton removed some of the antique glass doorknobs from the White House before leaving. President Trump not only replaced them, but he also paid out of pocket to restore and upgrade much of the residence. The craftsmanship is stunning. And no, he’s not going to get credit for it. They might even remove those fixtures when he leaves again. But the truth is that he’s invested in preserving the dignity of the building.

In a time when politics has become performative and devoid of historical grounding, Trump is the president we need. He’s reading. He’s studying the presidents. He’s reflecting. He’s becoming a historian in his own right. And he’s still in awe of the place he occupies.

This wasn’t just a tour. It was a reminder that behind all the headlines and controversies, a man is walking those halls who still can’t believe he gets to do so. And in a world that rarely stops to appreciate the weight of history, I think that matters.

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