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What Is The Purpose Of The Mysterious Red Button On President Donald Trump’s Desk?

By Christian Savoy
Published on: 09:01 PST, Apr 29, 2017

A few guests and journalists who have marched through the Oval Office these days have caught the attention of a discreet red button protruding from a wooden box placed on the desk of President Donald Trump. Contrary to what many might think — and fear — it is not the powerful button capable of triggering a nuclear attack. As reported by Financial Times writer Demetri Sevastopulo, its function is rather harmless.

“With the push of a red button placed on the Resolute Desk that presidents have used for decades, a White House butler soon arrived with a Coke for the president,” the news agency reported.

Some journalists who have recently interviewed the president in the White House have noticed that shortly after the president presses the small button, a butler makes his entrance into the office with a drink.

Buzzfeed has compiled several times that the red button has been noticed.

In a recent interview, Associated Press journalist Julie Pace noticed that Trump was touching the button while talking about Syria, the F-35 fighter jets, and his first 100 days as president. Each time, shortly after pressing the red button, in came a butler who served him a cold Coca Cola.

During an interview with Reuters, the president also pressed the button while talking about his relations with Taiwan.

“A man accustomed to wealth and its trappings, Trump has embraced life in the Executive Mansion, often regaling guests with trivia about the historic décor,” the report states.

According to USA Today, the button itself is portable and can be relocated to other rooms within the White House in case the president requires his butler’s services — or just a Diet Coke — wherever he may be.

The variety of Coca-Cola products that Trump prefers is not known. President Trump has been a long-time consumer of Coca-Cola products, but in 2012, Trump suggested in a tweet that drinking Diet Coke contributed to weight gain.

As mentioned above, Trump is not the first president to use the red button. Obama did it during his presidency, but it is not known what he ordered.

Trump acknowledged in an interview with the Financial Times that the mysterious button resembles something that could launch a nuclear attack.

“No no, everyone thinks it is,” Trump told the publication. “Everyone does get a little nervous when I press that button.”

In reality, there is no such thing as the president’s nuclear button. Every US president since John F Kennedy has been equipped with a nuclear biscuit and a nuclear football. The so-called nuclear biscuit is a credit-card-sized piece of plastic containing the codes the president needs to order the launch nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, President Trump recently spoke with the Associated Press in an Oval office interview about his first 100 days as president of the United States. On Saturday, President Donald Trump celebrated his 100th day at the White House, saying he had brought a “profound change” to Washington.

“It’s a different kind of a presidency,” Trump was quoted as saying.

“From the first day of my administration, I have governed by a simple idea: My only allegiance is to you, our wonderful citizens,” Trump said in his weekly radio and internet address. “Together we are seeing that great achievements are possible when we put American People first. That is why I withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That day was a turning point for our nation. It put the countries of this world on notice that the sellout of the American worker was over.”

The executive orders signed on Saturday represented numbers 31 and 32, which is far more than any other president in their first 100 days since World War II. During the campaign, Trump had lashed out at then-President Barack Obama for using that power, which does not require congressional approval.

[Featured Image by Pool/Getty Images]

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