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Dan Diamond

@ddiamond.bsky.social
60K followers 130 following 1.5K posts

White House reporter at the Washington Post. Focused on politics, policy and public health. Democracy dies in darkness. Find me on Signal: username dan_diamond.01

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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 2h
Amy Klobuchar is out with a new fundraising email based on her Senate clash with Eric Schmitt: “Get your facts straight before calling someone a dirtbag.”
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
missed this earlier, but an enterprising staffer in Schmitt's office apparently added a picture of the Atlanta Hawks arena to the senator's posterboard
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New: Trump last week said that he would convert his planned triumphal arch into a "military complex." But officials steering the project said in a Tuesday meeting that they had no more info and were proceeding with the original arch design as planned. More at @washingtonpost.com →
washingtonpost.com
Officials cast doubt on Trump’s plan for drones, snipers at proposed arch
The arch is still envisioned to be a tourist site, despite the president’s announcement that it would be a “military complex,” administration officials told advocacy groups.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In today’s Post: a visual look at how Trump is physically remaking Washington. His supporters are cheering his renovations and additions. Many DC residents want him to stop. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
washingtonpost.com
How Trump’s sweeping changes are remaking Washington
No modern president has done more to personally reshape the nation’s capital.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Chris Klomp, who’s currently going through Senate confirmation to be deputy HHS secretary, appears to be off the panel.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New: the White House is reopening part of Lafayette Square, the public park across the street, after fencing it off 8 months ago. White House official tells The Post that Secret Service is balancing public access against security risks to Trump, and a formal update is coming soon.
washingtonpost.com
White House to reopen part of Lafayette Square after eight months
Administration officials are still pursuing plans to build a permanent fence around the park.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russell Brand, who's awaiting trial in London next month on rape and sexual assault charges, will moderate a panel at DC's MAHA summit tomorrow on reforming a U.S. health agency
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Trump vowed to go all-out campaigning for GOP. But first: it’s time for golf and college football.
washingtonpost.com
Trump heads to Texas-Tennessee football game as midterm rallies slide
Trump will attend the Tennessee-Texas college football game on Saturday and the President’s Cup golf tournament on Sunday.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We reported in July that Trump was speeding up his helipad project because he wanted to show it off to Xi. Today Trump gave the Chinese president a 10-minute tour of the project. Trump and the White House have also repeatedly shared video of the tour.
washingtonpost.com
Trump shows off helipad to Xi Jinping, calls him an ‘expert on stone’
The U.S. president was racing to finish the project before his Chinese counterpart visited, The Post previously reported.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New: Trump officials are ending a federally required review of how President Donald Trump’s planned arch would harm historic sites. The move would conclude one of the last remaining steps before Trump can begin construction on the arch.
washingtonpost.com
Trump officials end review of how arch could harm historic sites
A required consultation process with local preservationists is being terminated, a Trump appointee said Thursday.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Since he was born, I’ve sung The Beatles’ “Blackbird” to my son to soothe him to sleep. But now, 3 yrs old, he interrupts me with Qs like: - What is the blackbird’s name? - How did the blackbird get hurt? - Where did it happen? (I told him “Abbey Road” last night, which prompted: where’s that?)
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Democrats are again insisting that Trump release the text of his deals with drug companies. @wyden.senate.gov: “Here we are, months later, with six written requests, legislation to compel release, and a Cabinet secretary’s commitment. And I have not seen a single page.”
washingtonpost.com
Democrats again demand Trump’s drug-price contracts following Post report
Lawmakers say they cannot judge the effectiveness of the administration’s initiative to lower drug prices until the contracts are released.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The National Trust sued to stop Trump's ballroom. He called them "treasonists." Now the preservation group is launching a $10M legal fund to fight Trump's broader changes. The National Trust's CEO: “The ideals and values of historic preservation are being undermined."
washingtonpost.com
National Trust, after battling with Trump, to announce legal defense fund
The preservation group, which sued to stop the White House ballroom, says it will push back against the administration’s changes to historic sites and laws.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I was working in a Whole Foods cafe this week when a store manager sat down at a table next to me, along with a job candidate. He asked a question I've never heard in all my years of job interviews: "How do I know when you get stressed?"
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
a dream job
By Shaena Montanari

Shaena Montanari is a writer on the sleep team. She has at least five different pillows in her bed at any given moment.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
typos matter
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Trump's new plan to turn his arch into a "military complex" may complicate ongoing review process among the emerging concerns: - safety of drones near National Airport - legality of building a military complex on federal parkland @rephuffman.bsky.social: "This is cartoonishly illegal."
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s plan to militarize proposed arch raises new legal, safety concerns
Aviation safety experts worry about the prospect of drones stored so close to National Airport, while preservationists say a review process can't go forward now.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
After banning media outlets, the White House has spent all day teasing the launch of “Trump TV,” a YouTube station promising “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7.” They begin by showing an 80-day-old Trump speech at Mt Rushmore.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
No major TV network will be showing Trump cutting the ribbon on his new White House helipad today. C-SPAN also just said it's out.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In show of unity, rival TV networks collectively pull coverage of Trump after he bans CNN. Fox News’s Washington bureau chief announced the decision.
washingtonpost.com
Major TV networks halt pool coverage of Trump over CNN ban
CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, also said it was suing over the ban, which the president defended as “an assault on the FAKE NEWS.”
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Spotted new posters around DC today
OMG.
AMERICANS ARE LOSING ACCESS
TO
LIFE-SAVING
CLINICAL TRIALS.
OMB.
UNITED SCIENCE
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I asked the White House, the Pentagon and other officials this morning — is this real? A military complex in the middle of a traffic roundabout? Really?
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I’ve covered Trump’s arch for nearly a year. I’ve watched officials reveal their plans to federal commissions and tracked them in court. Nobody, until today, made any suggestion it would be a “military complex.” But Trump has used a similar strategy to defend his ballroom.
washingtonpost.com
Trump says planned 250-foot arch will be ‘military complex’ for drones, snipers
The president’s post about the 250-foot arch planned near Arlington National Cemetery comes as veterans groups, historic preservationists and others attempt to stop the project.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Journalists are annoying. Officials get tired of our questions; readers may wish we asked different ones. (Frankly, we annoy each other as we compete for scoops.) But being annoying — pushing our government for answers — is part of the press freedom that makes America great.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
For months, Trump has touted his drug-price deals — saying his work should be enough for the GOP to win the midterms. But Trump and his deputies have declined to release the deals' actual text. @publiccitizen.bsky.social sued to get two deals thru FOIA and shared them with The Post.
washingtonpost.com
Secret contracts reveal undisclosed terms in Trump’s drug-pricing deals
Agreements with Pfizer and Eli Lilly include tariff protections, overseas pricing inducements and broad confidentiality clauses.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
New: Officials battled over NIH in the Oval Office today, per people familiar. RUSS VOUGHT criticized NIH "woke" spending and floated executive order to review its grants. JAY BHATTACHARYA defended NIH's alignment with Trump. TRUMP appeared to side with Vought. with @rbeggin.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Vought pushes for scrutiny of NIH grants in Oval Office clash
A heated debate took place in the Oval Office on Friday, with some Trump officials accusing the National Institutes of Health of funding grants that conflict with the president’s agenda.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Interesting development in fight over Trump's arch. Trump insists he must build it near Arlington cemetery because Congress authorized a never-built project there a century ago. DC official says — ok, if you must build something, then just build the two columns that Congress actually authorized.
washingtonpost.com
Build columns, not Trump’s arch, D.C. official tells administration
Local officials, preservationists and historians are pushing to scale back Trump's planned arch, advocating the slender columns originally envisioned by architects and lawmakers a century ago.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New: Federal officials acknowledge that Trump's planned 250-ft-tall arch will harm nearby historic sites, but say it must proceed. The “adverse effects cannot be fully avoided,” Park Service officials wrote in a document obtained by The Post.
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s arch will harm historic sites but must proceed, federal officials say
National Park Service officials acknowledge that President Donald Trump’s planned arch would harm dozens of historic sites but say it must move forward anyway.
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Reposted by Dan Diamond
Jesse @jessemerle.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Worth reading if you work in media
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Trump today: the idea that “Robots will be marching into our cities” is a wild hoax Trump last week: posts multiple images of himself leading robots marching into cities
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
blast from the past
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The decision by Trump's current health secretary to use private jets has raised some eyebrows, given that Trump's first health secretary attracted some attention for using private jets.
The administration’s decision to allow Kennedy to use military jets is a stark departure from President Donald Trump’s first term, when he pushed out Tom Price, his first health secretary, after reports that Price was relying on private jets for routine travel, including between Washington and Philadelphia.

White House officials then set new restrictions on Cabinet officials’ use of private jets.

But in Trump’s second term, the president has been more permissive with some Cabinet officials’ travel, even as FBI Director Kash Patel and other senior officials have drawn scrutiny over their use of government jets.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Exclusive: The White House has given RFK Jr access to military aircraft as the health secretary has criss-crossed the country. RFK Jr used private flight to join GOP candidates in Iowa last month. w @rachelroubein.bsky.social @abtran.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
RFK Jr. uses military aircraft as he campaigns for GOP in midterms
The White House and Department of Health and Human Services lawyers signed off on the plan to let the health secretary use military jets, five people said.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A lot of great new hires at 𝖭̶𝖮̶𝖳̶𝖴̶𝖲̶ @washingtonsun.bsky.social, but adding @andrewvandam.bsky.social’s wit, insights and data dexterity might be the best pickup of all.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New: Trump administration is now targeting *November* for final approval of Trump's 250-ft arch. A senior Park Service official said today the timeline could further slip. Trump initially wanted to break ground by July 4. Officials last week signaled work would start soon before walking it back.
washingtonpost.com
Trump officials target November for final approval of massive arch
A top National Park Service official, meeting with preservationists, rejected suggestions to change the planned 250-foot-tall arch’s size, design or location.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
First Lady Melania Trump is hosting the group at the White House tonight, btw, The Post scooped.
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Reposted by Dan Diamond
Bill Kuchman @billkuchman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
““We keep the White House inside in order,” a member of the association’s board said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the outside.” Well then, it’s a good thing what’s inside of the White House doesn’t depend on stuff like whether an entire wing gets demolished.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
In WaPo today — I took a look at the curious case of the White House Historical Association. Founded by Jackie Kennedy to preserve the White House's character, the nonprofit group has stayed quiet as Trump remakes the building to his tastes. Other preservationists accuse them of complicity.
washingtonpost.com
Trump is remodeling the White House. The group set up to protect it has stayed quiet.
The White House Historical Association, a nonprofit set up by Jacqueline Kennedy to preserve the building’s character, has declined to criticize the president’s changes.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp and two other close aides, per financial disclosures. Washington Post exclusive from @aaronschaffer.com and Cat Zakrzewski
washingtonpost.com
Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, two other close aides
Financial disclosures show the sums were equivalent to nearly one-third of each of their salaries. Experts say the gifts are without precedent and may violate the law.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
First in WaPo this morning: @votevets.org is launching a new campaign to mobilize veterans against Trump's planned triumphal arch. Trump officials are planning 20/hr per day of construction to build 250-ft-tall arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Trump officials have stripped language criticizing a Confederate monument in Arlington National Cemetery. New sign + updated website omit wording that said statue “mythologized” the Confederacy and gave “sanitized” depictions of slavery. with @joeheim.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Trump officials strip military language criticizing Confederate memorial
A new sign at Arlington National Cemetery omits wording that said the 32-foot bronze statue “mythologized” the Confederacy and gave “sanitized” depictions of slavery.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Looking at Trump's bizarre string of 60+ TruthSocial posts yesterday, ranging from his calls to rename New Mexico to sharing surreal memes of robots and dystopia. “Why is the President spending his time making memes and harassing the people of our state?" @repstansbury.bsky.social texted me.
washingtonpost.com
Trump suggests renaming New Mexico amid torrent of online memes and taunts
The suggestion came as the president unleashed dozens of social media posts. He lacks authority to rename New Mexico or any other state.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
??
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public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
we’re going full verhoeven
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Trump on a TruthSocial posting tear - sharing images of himself with George Washington - floating the renaming of New Mexico as “New America” - and suggesting the new Space Force uniforms should be inspired by “Starship Troopers”
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Workers took shrouds off the White House today after spending two months working on the columns. Trump is preparing to host Xi — and show off his White House renovations — in a few weeks.
washingtonpost.com
Trump removes White House shrouds as he prepares for Xi visit
The president had ordered repairs to the iconic, and Ionic, columns outside the White House entrance.
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Reposted by Dan Diamond
Jon Frandsen @jcfrandsen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
She interviewed my mother once when the scandal of the day was Pat Nixon telling women they could break long tradition by wearing dresses above the knee to White House cocktail parties. My mother thought this was undignified.
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Reposted by Dan Diamond
Jake Lahut @jakelahut.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This was much juicier than what I thought I was signing up for. We used to be a proper country etc etc
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Reading about past White House renovation projects + stumbled across this story about a tough Washington Post series that prompted JFK to call The Post’s publisher (with whom he traded girlfriends) as Jackie Kennedy wept in the background
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Appreciate the @washingtonpost.com editors who chose this story for our print front page today.
Secret Service is getting a fortified White House
Officials presented plans to permanently fence Lafayette Square
BY DAN DIAMOND
Secret Service leaders have long wanted a more fortified White House. President Donald Trump is giving it to them.
Trump officials on Thursday
publicly presented their latest plans to permanently fence Lafayette Square, the public park across the street from the White House. The project, a longtime Secret Service priority, was discussed but never approved in past administrations, as officials wrestled with how to boost security without unduly restricting public access, said four people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail interna. con-versations.
Trump officials also unveiled revisions to a planned visitor screening center, another piece of the broader
Trump-backed
effort to add security facilities and fencing that could alter the
relationship between the White House and the public spaces surrounding it.
The National Capital Planning Commission, which reviews federal construction projects, advanced both proposals Thursday afternoon over complaints from some commissioners.
The Secret Service also has pushed for additional permanent fences on Pennsylvania Avenue and around the White House campus, with administration officials saying that announcements on those additions are forthcoming.
And Trump has followed the Secret Service's recommendation to keep President's Park, the
82-acre park encompassing and surrounding the White House, off limits amid heightened security threats. Lafayette Square has been closed to the public for nearly eight months, although renovation work was completed weeks ago, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the project.
The need for a permanent visitor center - like the Lafayette fencing - has been discussed across multiple administrations,
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