President Donald Trump showed off a new gold-colored desk phone in the Oval Office this week, drawing fresh attention not only to the handset itself but also to a familiar red button sitting nearby on the Resolute Desk. The customized phone appeared in photographs taken at the White House on Wednesday. Trump later confirmed the device was new after being asked about it during an Oval Office event.
You know who gave this to me? A phone company," Trump said while proudly displaying the phone. The handset features gold trim and extensive presidential branding, including the presidential seal, an image of the White House, Trump's name, and the numbers "45" and "47" representing his two nonconsecutive terms in office.
The phone also appears to fit into Trump's broader redesign of the Oval Office, which has featured an increasing number of gold accents and decorative items since his return to the White House. Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment. While the White House has not publicly identified the model, it bears similarities to Cisco's 8851 series business phones, a model that has previously been associated with Trump's Oval Office communications setup during his first administration.
Historical photographs from 2017 of White House office technology also showed Cisco desk phones on Trump's desk. correspondent David Shepardson reported that the handset was manufactured by Cisco after contacting major U.S. phone companies about Trump's remark that a "phone company" had given him the device. "The phone companies don't make handsets—this is from Cisco," Shepardson wrote on social media. Newsweek reached out to Cisco via email for comment.
The photograph appeared to show two desk phones on or near the Resolute Desk, a setup that is not entirely new for Trump. During his first term, Trump's Oval Office often contained multiple desk telephones. While the White House has not explained the purpose of each phone currently visible in the Oval Office, presidents routinely have access to multiple communications devices that connect to different networks or serve different operational needs.
The two-phone setup therefore appears consistent with previous photographs from both Trump's first administration and other White House communications arrangements. The image also revived discussion of another item sitting nearby: a small wooden box with a red button. The button became famous after Trump revealed during his first term that pressing it would summon a White House valet with a Diet Coke.
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