President Trump kicks staffer out of Oval Office when noisy phone interrupts speech

David Matthews, New York Daily News on Aug 25, 2025

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President Trump appeared to lose patience with a White House staffer after a noisy phone interrupted his remarks at the Oval Office on Monday.

While signing a series of executive orders, Trump, 79, stopped midway through a question about the government buying a stake in Intel to kick the staffer out of the room.

“As you know the stock market went up almost a thousand points on Friday and it went up not because of…” Trump said.

“Hello, who is that?” he asked. “Who is that back there? Alright, get out of the room.”

As some people laugh, Trump does not smile and a door can be heard closing.

The staffer in question is unclear based on the available footage, but the Daily Mail reported it was White House staff secretary Will Scharf, one of Trump’s former personal attorneys and a losing candidate for Missouri attorney general.

The president has asked staffers to leave the room in the past. During a TV interview during his first term, Trump ordered acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney out of the Oval Office for coughing.

“I don’t like that, you know, I don’t like that,” Trump said, as George Stephanopoulos noted the cough is from “your chief of staff.”

“If you’re going to cough, please leave the room. You just can’t, you just can’t cough,” Trump said, shaking his head. “Boy, oh boy.”

Monday’s incident occurred during a lengthy session in the Oval Office where Trump once again appeared with a bruised hand, leading to questions about the president’s health. Last month, the White House announced Trump had been diagnosed with a vein condition — chronic venous insufficiency — which causes ankle swelling.