While I was in Washington

This past week I was lucky enough to visit Washington D.C. with my daughter as part of The Gold Medal Summit for Congressional Gold Medal award recipients. The Congressional Award Program was actually started here in our great state of Wyoming in 1979 by Wyoming Senator Malcom Wallop. It is the highest civilian honor awarded to the youth of our country for participating and recording nearly one thousand hours of Voluntary Public Service, Physical Fitness, Personal Development along with Expedition and Exploration. I was in complete awe of the young and brilliant minds I was surrounded by and proud to be in attendance with eight Wyoming Gold Medalists, including my own daughter.

Our first evening in D.C. was spent dining at the iconic Dubliner Pub. On any given afternoon you will likely see Capitol Hill or even White House interns dining on the popular Guinness Burger or even sipping on a much-favored Liberties Revival, a signature cocktail at The Dubliner. In the evening right around the time the sun begins to set, you'll be serenaded by any number of Irish performers, as was my experience in past visits to this lively establishment. As I sat patiently nibbling my Bailey's Cheesecake, I waited to hear the sound of a tin whistle or Mandolin. I was instead greeted with the sight of multiple professional video cameras. I inquired with my waiter, and he said that a sitcom had been filming there all day but stopped short of giving me any further details. This was my first indication that this was not going to be an ordinary visit to our nation's capital!

From The Dubliner I moved on to a "Monuments by Moonlight" Trolly tour. The tour hit all the most popular sights - think Lincoln and Jefferson memorials - with the last stop being the White House. As we exited the trolly to get a closer view of The White House, I noticed immediately that the security perimeter had been moved back significantly. Not being someone who is afraid to ask questions, I quickly approached a United States Secret Service Uniformed Division officer and asked why the perimeter had been moved. I caught him off guard a bit and he muttered out a story about a minor altercation between two unhoused men and then something about a routine safety sweep. I knew at once something important or at the very least something that sparked my interest was coming. I listened as vacationers and even some of the Medalists speculated on what might be happening. Some thought maybe a visit from Independent Presidential Candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., some questioned if it was a celebrity activist, but overwhelmingly the sentiment was that former President Donald Trump was set to make his return to Washington - his first since the January 6 insurrection. A quick Google search told me RFK Jr. had set up some appearances in California, and nothing popped up on any known celebrity activist. Nowhere credible was reporting on a possible Trump visit, so my next task was heading to Reddit. Reddit was ablaze with "Trump's in town" and "Trump rally in D.C" rumors. I took some notes about possible dates, times and locations and moved on with my trip as scheduled.

We spent the morning of June 13 at the Congressional Auditorium and decided to take a lunch stroll to the Supreme Court building. Literally as we walked up the news broke that The Supreme Court had handed down a major decision preserving access to the abortion pill Mifepristone. Surprisingly however there were few reporters in the press area near the Public Information Office. The atmosphere had a definite change, and as we returned to the Capitol, we quickly found out why. As we approached the stairs on the Senate side of the Capitol for the Wyoming Medalists' scheduled picture with Wyoming senators and representatives, I discovered where all the reporters had gone. Reporters were swarming just east of our location. Again, without an ounce of hesitation I approached the group and asked my own "reporter" type questions. I told them I had very recently been hired as a part time contributor for my local newspaper and that was all it took for them to give me a plethora of information. I learned that former President Trump was in meetings with both senate and house republicans and that our very own Senator Barrasso was responsible for organizing said meetings. I was also told that those who were in attendance at those meetings would be exiting the Capitol at any moment. I mingled with the press listening and continuing to ask a few questions when I noticed that our Gold Medalists were beings asked to move behind the ropes and told their photo op would be momentarily postponed. Excited about all the details I had just learned, I begrudgingly scampered off to rejoin the Wyoming group when the first senators began to emerge. I absolutely took my chance and got as close to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as I possibly could without the proper press credentials. I simultaneously snapped pictures and recorded his responses to questions being directed his way. When asked about the nature of the meeting with former President Trump, Rubio responded that the meeting was like "getting the team back together" and expressed "optimism, but a lot of work to be done," in regard to the state of the former president's campaign.

The rest of our trip was filled with the history, creativity and chaos Washington D.C. is known for. However, landmark Supreme Court decisions and former President Trump returning to Capitol Hill...the sheer significance of the history making events that occurred while I was in Washington will not soon leave me.