White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he wants President Trump to deliver his nomination speech “miles and miles away” from the White House grounds in an interview that aired Sunday.
Meadows told Gray TV’s “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren” that he would suggest the president give his acceptance speech “not within a mile” of the White House.
“Those decisions are still in flux, but I can tell you what I’m advocating for is miles and miles away from here,” he said, referring to the White House complex, in a prerecorded interview.
The White House chief of staff’s remarks come after the president indicated last week that he might deliver his nomination speech from the White House after he had backtracked from plans to give the speech in Jacksonville, Fla.
“Well, we are thinking about it. It would be easiest from the standpoint of security,” he told “Fox & Friends.”
Trump later dismissed legal questions about the proposal after experts and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) questioned whether it violated the Hatch Act, which forbids federal officials such as White House staffers from engaging in partisan political activities.
“It is legal. There is no Hatch Act because it doesn’t pertain to the president,” Trump told reporters at a press briefing.
When asked about the debate over hosting the nomination speech at the White House, Meadows told CNN that “the East Wing is certainly an appropriate place to do it if he chooses to do that.”
“But listen, those decisions have not been made yet,” he added. “I can tell you that as we look at it, I don’t expect there to be an address from the Oval Office.”