Want to meet with Trump? Talk to his security guard.


There is not exactly a formal process in place if you want to secure a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. All it might take, in fact, is knowing the right people. Namely, Trump's security guard, Keith Schiller.
Carl Paladino, the upstate New York developer and local political gadfly, was interested in catching up with Donald Trump in early December, so he rang up the president-elect's private security guard. The next day, on Dec. 5, Paladino found himself high in Trump Tower, recounting favorite moments from the campaign and gossiping about local politics with the president-elect for 45 minutes. [Politico]
Since winning the presidency, Trump has met with everyone from potential political appointees to celebrities. Sometimes the meetings are unexpected: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was recently summoned to Trump Tower for a 62-minute conversation. "No one knew why the meeting went that long," a person close to de Blasio told Politico. In another case, Rev. Al Sharpton hung up the phone on Trump's secretary when he received a call asking him to visit the Tower because he didn't think it was real.
"It's going to be more challenging if that's brought to the White House," said Craig Fuller, who served as former President George H.W. Bush's chief of staff. "There is a high demand of issues to bring to the White House. You can't just shoot from the hip, shall we say."
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges