Presidential lecterns

President Joe Biden gives a speech at the White House behind a Blue Goose lectern in 2021

Three types of lectern are used by the president of the United States. The Blue Goose is the main bullet-resistant lectern, used mostly at the White House and for domestic speeches. Its downsized counterpart, the Falcon, is used for travel purposes, and the Toast lectern is the smallest version, used for informal events. The White House Communications Agency presides over many Blue Goose and Falcon lecterns.[1][2] All three are usually adorned with the seal of the president of the United States.

Designs[edit]

Blue Goose[edit]

Described by Politico as "bulky" and "formal",[3] and named by the United States Secret Service after the colour of its top and its gooseneck microphone,[4] the bullet-resistant[2] or bullet-proof[4] Blue Goose lecterns are boxy, with a dark blue desk section and dark panels on their wide bases.[2] They often feature glass-paned teleprompters placed on their corners, with space for paper copies of a script in case of errors, as well as space for a glass of water.[2] Dual Shure SM57 microphones have been used for most of the lectern's appearances, with the occasional use of condenser microphones under the Clinton and Trump presidencies.[1] It reportedly weighs several hundred pounds and is often transported in an aluminum crate.[5][6]

Falcon[edit]

Then-Vice President Joe Biden uses a Falcon lectern in Kosovo, 2009

Custom-built by the White House Communications Agency under the presidency of George W. Bush, the Falcon lectern had a sleeker, hourglass-like shape, and its plinth was wider at the base while being trimmer at the top.[3][6] It was adjustable, and designed so that more of the background would be visible on television.[3] A lectern with a similar design to the Falcon is used in the Ohio Clock corridor in the United States Senate.[7]

Toast[edit]

President Barack Obama speaks from the Toast lectern in Venice, Louisiana, 2010

The Toast lectern, a small wooden platform atop a metal pole, is the smallest lectern frequently used by the president,[3][7] sometimes for toasts at events such as state dinners.[8]

History[edit]

On May 16, 1991, Queen Elizabeth II made remarks from the Blue Goose at a White House welcoming ceremony alongside President George H. W. Bush. Due to the unadjustable height of the lectern, only her hat was visible to television audiences; she quipped the next day while addressing a joint session of Congress that “I do hope you can see me today from where you are.”[9][3]

On January 26, 1998, for Bill Clinton's press conference addressing the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal, a modified version of the Blue Goose was used, replacing the Shure SM57 microphones normally used for the lecterns with a 16-inch condenser microphone. The sensitive microphone picked up Clinton's repeated raps against the lectern when he stated "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." A condenser microphone was not used with the Blue Goose again until the presidency of Donald Trump.[1] In June that year, a Blue Goose lectern was taken with Clinton on his visit to China.[10]

George W. Bush uses a Blue Goose to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 2001

During the presidency of George W. Bush, the sleeker Falcon lectern was created and came into use during a visit by Vladimir Putin to the United States in November 2001.[6] Journalists noted that Bush used the Blue Goose more sparingly than Jimmy Carter had done, usually only in the Rose Garden or East Room of the White House, with the intent of reserving presidential symbols for major events.[11]

Barack Obama used the Blue Goose for his inaugural address in 2009

At a Fortune's Most Powerful Women summit in 2010, the presidential seal fell off the Blue Goose in the middle of a speech by Barack Obama, who joked that "that's all right, all of you know who I am," and that the staff who had set up the lectern would be "sweating bullets".[12] In 2011, a Defense Information Systems Agency truck containing presidential seals and lecterns was stolen in suburban Virginia. [13] Near the end of the 2012 United States presidential election race, the United States Secret Service directed Obama to stand behind the Blue Goose during speeches for his safety. His communications director Brent Coburn later said that Obama's advisers "were fighting to not use the blue goose," and that "we lost that fight. You usually lose fights with the Secret Service."[14]

The inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017 brought the return of a compression microphone of 18 inches, to reduce the distance between the microphone and his mouth.[1] On May 26, 2017, Sean Spicer and Gary Cohn commented on one of the lecterns in a hotel room while at the NATO Brussels summit, stating "this is ours," and "we own it," in reference to their prominence on the world stage.[15] Trump also used the Falcon when refuting the Mueller special counsel investigation in 2019, with Trump aides affixing a placard to the lectern that read "Mueller investigation by the numbers," and the catchphrase "no collusion. No obstruction."[16][17][18]

In 2022, it was noted that Joe Biden was often eschewing the Blue Goose, instead using a handheld microphone.[2]

Unofficial replicas[edit]

In 2015, BuzzFeed News reported that Aaron Schock was using an unofficial replica of the Falcon lectern, for which he had spent about $5,000 using a taxpayer-funded account, when speaking in Peoria, Illinois.[7]

In June 2023, the office of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Governor of Arkansas, purchased a custom 39-inch replica of the Falcon lectern with an accompanying road case from Beckett Events LLC for $19,029.25, using a state-issued credit card. The amount was reimbursed by the Republican Party on September 14. That month, public record requests revealed the purchase to the public, drawing criticism of the purchase as alleged waste or potential wrongdoing. An anonymous whistleblower also claimed that Sanders’ office improperly altered and withheld public records related to spending on the lectern. Some critics nicknamed the controversy "#LecternGate" or "#PodiumGate", and Sanders stated that it was a "manufactured controversy".[19][20] The Arkansas General Assembly launched an audit of the purchase on 12 October 2023,[21][22] which was released on 15 April 2024. The audit stated that Sanders' office potentially violated laws, including illegally tampering with public records and shredding a bill of lading associated with the lectern. In response, Sanders posted a video montage of the lectern on Twitter, with the words "come and take it".[23][24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d King, Josh (2017-01-25). "Trump's big league microphone". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  2. ^ a b c d e Miller, Zeke; Long, Colleen (2022-10-11). "Give him a hand: Biden ditching lectern for handheld mics". AP News. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e Lee, Carol E. (2009-06-22). "The art of Obama's stagecraft". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  4. ^ a b Purdum, Todd S. (1996-10-05). "Clintonian Speeches: A Guide for Listeners". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  5. ^ "WashSpeak: Blue Goose". MSNBC. 2011-03-30. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  6. ^ a b c ""Inside Washington."". National Journal. 34 (30): 2219. 2002-07-27.
  7. ^ a b c McMorris-Santoro, Evan (2015-03-16). "Furniture Company: Aaron Schock Likely Spent $5,000 On A Replica Of President Obama's Podium". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  8. ^ Green, Erica L. (2024-01-21). "First Black Women to Cover the White House Are Honored in the Briefing Room". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  9. ^ Eaton, William J. (1991-05-17). "Queen Addresses Joint Congress Session". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
  10. ^ Broder, John M. (1998-06-21). "The World; In the Land of a Billion, a Fitting Presidential Retinue". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  11. ^ Bedard, Paul; Walsh, Kenneth T.; Ragavan, Chitra; Parker, Suzi Parker; Cohen, Gary; Jodie T., Allen (2001-02-19). "Say so long to the Blue Goose". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  12. ^ Jones, Sam (2010-10-06). "Don't you know who I am? Barack Obama loses seal of authority". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  13. ^ Potter, Dena (2011-10-19). "Tour truck with various equipment stolen in Virginia". The Sumter Item. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  14. ^ Zeleny, Jeff (2012-12-07). "Campaign Postscript Offers a Peek at Debates on Security and Spending". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  15. ^ McKelvey, Tara (2017-05-27). "Trump team relish world stage but struggle with European quirks". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  16. ^ Gearan, Anne (2019-05-23). "Trump's Twittery diatribe - live from the Rose Garden". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  17. ^ Ewing, Philip (2019-05-22). "Trump Scorches Democrats As Pelosi Broaches Prospect Of 'Impeachable Offense'". NPR. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  18. ^ Baker, Peter; Rogers, Katie; Cochrane, Emily (2019-05-22). "Trump, Angered by 'Phony' Inquiries, Blows Up Meeting With Pelosi and Schumer". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  19. ^ Cathey, Libby (2023-10-25). "Sarah Huckabee Sanders defends herself from podium controversy after unusual $19K payment". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  20. ^ Betts, Anna (2023-10-10). "In Arkansas, a $19,000 Lectern for the Governor Draws Scrutiny". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  21. ^ Demillo, Andrew (2023-10-28). "Arkansas governor's $19,000 lectern remains out of sight, but not out of mind with audit underway". AP News. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  22. ^ Demillo, Andrew (2023-10-12). "Arkansas lawmakers OK plan to audit purchase of $19,000 lectern for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  23. ^ Demillo, Andrew (2024-04-15). "Audit says Arkansas governor's office potentially violated laws with $19,000 lectern purchase". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  24. ^ Medina, Eduardo (2024-04-15). "Audit Questions Purchase of $19,000 Lectern by Arkansas Governor's Office". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
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