Donald Trump has a campaign office in Seattle, but its location is a closely guarded secret. Ana Sofia Knauf, a reporter for The Stranger, describes the secret Trump headquarters as being "in an unmarked storefront on Highway 99 near a couple of sex shops," where "the windows have been carefully covered with brown butcher paper so that no one can see in." Knauf, obviously no fan of Trump, says she was able to gain entry — for a day of working the Trump phone bank — because a friend was willing to jump through the hoops set up by Trump's Seattle gatekeeper, including emailing your name, phone number, and what Knauf calls "a loyalty oath" to Trump.
The gatekeeper, a man Knauf calls "Dirk" and describes as "a long-suffering libertarian" with "beady dark eyes and slicked-back hair," explained to her that the secrecy is because some Trump canvassers were pelted with rocks nearby and he doesn't want a brick through the window. She continues:
Dirk is definitely a dreamer — he's dreaming of a Trump victory in Washington State in November. He believes it's a real possibility. So Dirk is going to work diligently to try to make that happen — which is great news, because Dirk is going to waste a lot of energy and time, and hopefully a nice chunk of Trump's money (resources that could be used in vulnerable swing states), working for a candidate so hated by the people of Washington State that his office is effectively underground. [The Stranger]
Read Knauf's entire account, including her mostly sympathetic description of the other volunteers and her experience dialing Republicans and independents, at The Stranger.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
