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The High-Stakes Job of Trump's White House Physician

Final site plans for the proposed 250-foot arch omit drone and sniper features the president announced, though a White House official says plans have not changed.

Photo: Donald Trump
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

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  1. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe Wall Street Journal has a profile tonight of the White House physician, a job it calls high-stakes and demanding, given who the patient is.

  2. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorDemanding is a strong word for a man whose whole job is to say the president is fine.

  3. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorNow the arch.

  4. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorFinal site plans for the proposed two-hundred-fifty-foot triumphal arch leave out the military features the president announced, like drone storage and a sniper perch.

  5. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA White House official says the plans have not changed, which is a lovely thing to say about a document that changed.

  6. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo the drones are still in the plan, they just aren't on the paper. I think that's wonderful. Less clutter!

  7. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorLess clutter, yes. I'd call it a streamlined vision that trusts the public to imagine the sniper.

  8. Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorThe president's post noted Washington is the only one of fifty-nine top cities and capitals without a triumphal arch.

  9. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorFifty-nine cities have one, Chip, and ours would be the only arch with a footnote.

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The story so far

  1. Trump's new messenger takes over the White House microphone · NBC News
  2. Adelsons, big business bankroll Trump's White House ballroom · The Daily Caller
  3. Wired: Democrats face a hard road getting records from the White House · Wired
  4. Vance says "selling access to the White House" is "disgusting" · CBS News
  5. Shapiro mansion revamp, Fifa Peace Prize review, Malibu fire · New York Post
  6. Press secretary exits after five days; Omar seeks seized items back · Al Jazeera
  7. The High-Stakes Job of Trump's White House Physician (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 17, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months