WASHINGTON — The president’s residence is the Animal House now.

White House journalists dodged birds and rodents Friday at the end of a tumultuous week defined by President Trump’s “reciprocal” trade war.

Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy started his day waving his hands — but not to get a presidential question — when he was mistaken for a tree by a large dove.

The creature continued its cameo inside Fox News Channel’s tent on the White House north lawn — nearly colliding with Doocy’s face as the New York City-based hosts noted his “good hair” was lifted in the back.


Doocy was attacked by the bird near the White House briefing room.Fox News
“That’s probably so dirty!” he clucked in response.

In the afternoon, about 100 yards away, journalists squirmed after press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced to the assembled press that a mouse had just been spotted.

“There was a mouse in the briefing room earlier today, so I’m hoping someone checked in on it so it doesn’t run out here and distract me!” Leavitt said.

“That would be a good way for all of you to distract me, actually.”

Bird attacking Peter Doocy while mouse scurries and Brian Kilmeade, Kyjuan, Ainsley Earhardt sitting on a white couch in WH briefing room
Wildlife entering the White House has been somewhat common over the years.Fox News
One reporter expressed relief when Leavitt’s briefing ended after just 21 minutes before plotting a hasty exit from the executive mansion.

The incidents provided an amusing distraction from the week’s hard news, including Trump’s decision to enact massive tariffs on most of the world’s goods. He ordered a 90-day pause— excluding China — Wednesday to allow for talks, but left in effect a new 10% baseline for most products.

Although stocks recouped some of their roughly 10% losses upon that news, wild swings in the Treasury bond market, fueled by a suspected Chinese selloff in protest of Trump’s continued 145% tariff on Beijing, caused further market uncertainty, with a pass-through effect on the cost of loans.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt standing at a podium in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, speaking with reporters.
Leavitt left journalists in the briefing room squirming after informing them that she spotted a mouse.AP
Flies, cockroaches and mold have been recurring issues — while this past month the hallway just off the famed West Wing Colonnade gave off a putrid stench due to a suspected animal carcass in the process of becoming a permanent addition to the historic structure.

In one of the best-remembered rodent encounters, one of Washington’s large resident rats lumbered through the Rose Garden while President Trump held an event there in 2020.