WASHINGTON — The president’s residence is the Animal House now.
White House journalists dodged birds and rodents Friday at the end of a tumultuous week defined by President Trump’s “reciprocal” trade war.
Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy started his day waving his hands — but not to get a presidential question — when he was mistaken for a tree by a large pigeon.
Doocy, 37, was live on “Fox & Friends” around 7 a.m. when the bird tried to roost in his well-combed blond hair.
“A bird just landed on my head!” Doocy hooted as he ducked to ward off a second landing.
The creature continued its cameo inside Fox News Channel’s tent on the White House north lawn — nearly colliding with Doocy’s face as the New York City-based hosts noted his “good hair” was lifted in the back.
“That’s probably so dirty!” he clucked in response.
In the afternoon, about 100 yards away, journalists squirmed after press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced to the assembled press that a mouse had just been spotted.
“There was a mouse in the briefing room earlier today, so I’m hoping someone checked in on [it] so it doesn’t run out here and distract me!” Leavitt said.
“That would be a good way for all of you to distract me, actually.”
One reporter expressed relief when Leavitt’s briefing ended after just 21 minutes before plotting a hasty exit from the executive mansion.
The incidents provided an amusing distraction from the week’s hard news, including Trump’s decision to enact massive tariffs on most of the world’s goods. He ordered a 90-day pause— excluding China — Wednesday to allow for talks, but left in effect a new 10% baseline for most products.
Although stocks recouped some of their roughly 10% losses upon that news, wild swings in the Treasury bond market, fueled by a suspected Chinese selloff in protest of Trump’s continued 145% tariff on Beijing, caused further market uncertainty, with a pass-through effect on the cost of loans.
The White House has for years experienced wildlife intrusions.
Flies, cockroaches and mold have been recurring issues — while this past month the hallway just off the famed West Wing Colonnade gave off a putrid stench due to a suspected animal carcass in the process of becoming a permanent addition to the historic structure.
In one of the best-remembered rodent encounters, one of Washington’s large resident rats lumbered through the Rose Garden while President Trump held an event in 2020.
