That Trump even uses a teleprompter is somewhat remarkable.Īt first, the president was reluctant to use a prompter. “I wouldn’t want that job,” said another Bush administration senior official. “Any time you get out of sync, you lose the confidence of the boss.” “You need to make sure you’re on the same page in terms of applause and what they’re saying,” Belmar said. White House senior adviser Stephen Miller listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. Bush’s communications staff and worked with the teleprompter, said the operator needs an intimate knowledge of the speech, the speaker’s tics and the audience’s reaction. “Any time you see Stephen head over to Gabe before a speech starts, there’s always a hold your breath moment like, ‘What’s going on here?’” Miller said.Īdam Belmar, who served on President George W. Sometimes, before a speech begins, the president’s senior policy advisor and speechwriter Stephen Miller will huddle with Perez to change or add a phrase. Just in case something goes awry, there is a backup system to ensure the president is able to continue with his remarks.
Perez can often be spotted in the corner of the East Room with the WHCA staffers, sitting in front of one of two laptops, scrolling through the president’s prepared remarks. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. He declined an interview request for this report. At the White House, however, Perez has kept a low profile. Since that serendipitous moment, Perez has played a role in some of the most important and high-stress moments of the Trump presidency. “He became a whiz at breaking down and setting up the teleprompter, because he’d fly with us on Trump Force One around the country.” "He made the device user friendly for the boss, learning just how he liked it positioned,” Bossie and Lewandowski wrote. Perez, through VIP Prompting, was soon working for the future president.
As Trump began making more consistent speeches on the trail, Trump campaign advance man George Gigicos Googled “teleprompters,” according to Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie’s account in “Let Trump Be Trump.” They came upon VIP Prompting, which has worked with the White House on teleprompters since the Lyndon Johnson administration. The Trump campaign stumbled upon Perez in 2016. Over the course of nearly 90 minutes, Perez will likely have to navigate up to 100 applause breaks that constantly threaten to disrupt the speech’s flow.īut the challenge is now one Perez has mastered. Nearly 50 million people will be watching as Trump tries to make his case for re-election. On Tuesday night, Perez and the White House Communications Agency will face one of their biggest annual challenges - the State of the Union address. Throughout the turbulence, Perez must listen closely to scroll through pre-written script, then pause and recalibrate when the president chooses to go in a different direction. They may begin with pre-written policy points, but will inevitably swerve into talk of windmills, dip into jocular opinions on light bulbs, corkscrew into savage commentary on immigration, then free-fall into musings on news of the day. The president’s speeches can be likened to a roller coaster ride. And on the global stage, teleprompter Trump is how the president translates “America First” for the rest of the world. Trump’s brash and captivating style at the pulpit has always been key to his appeal and how he connects with his base. It may seem like a minor job, but Perez’s ability to sync up with Trump during speeches is key to how the president communicates his message - and how he rose to power. “It’s like a high-wire act with no safety net,” said Jason Miller, Trump’s former communications strategist.
Hired by chance after the Trump campaign Googled “teleprompters” and the company he worked for in New York came up, Perez has become the one person Trump trusts to manage his oratorical acrobatics, embellishments and ad-libs during even the most scripted appearances. It’s a talent Perez has honed over nearly four years in what some describe as one of the White House’s toughest jobs.
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