Washington: The White House stenographers are facing quite the challenge as former President Donald Trump, now serving his second term, continues to speak at an unprecedented pace. With Trump back in the public eye, the transcription team is struggling to keep up with his ceaseless stream of words.
In just one week, Trump delivered over 7 hours and 44 minutes of speech, amounting to a staggering 81,235 words. To put that in perspective, it's more than the combined word count of Shakespeare's *Macbeth*, *Hamlet*, and *Richard III*—or the length of watching the original *Star Wars* trilogy in one sitting.
The stenographers’ troubles began on Inauguration Day, when Trump spoke for more than 22,000 words. Then, while visiting disaster-stricken regions in North Carolina and California, he added another 17,000 words to his tally. Even the most experienced stenographers are finding it a daunting task to keep pace.
Reports indicate that the White House is considering expanding the team to handle the increasing workload. A source familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing discussions, confirmed that internal deliberations are underway.
A sharp contrast to President Joe Biden’s more subdued approach, Trump’s verbal marathon is creating a noticeable shift. In his first week in office, Biden spoke for just over 2 hours and 36 minutes, amounting to about 24,000 words. Trump, on the other hand, has taken every opportunity to seize the spotlight.
"He’s setting the news agenda on his own terms," said Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for Jill Biden. "Regardless of opinions, you can’t ignore him."
Trump’s frequent speeches have sparked a larger debate about the balance between accessibility and transparency. Longtime Trump ally Margo Martin embraced his near-constant presence, writing on social media, "Transparency is back!" However, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, pointed out that being accessible and transparent aren’t the same thing. "If people are overwhelmed, they will tune out, and that’s detrimental to an engaged citizenry."
Trump's verbose nature can also sow confusion. For instance, during a recent Pentagon discussion, he initially claimed there were "no surprises" in the opposition of Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to Pete Hegseth’s nomination, only to contradict himself the following day by expressing surprise.
A typical day in Trump’s second term often involves a whirlwind of speeches and statements. Take Wednesday as an example: he signed a bill to speed up deportations, made controversial claims about U.S.-funded condoms being used to make bombs by Hamas, announced plans to house illegal immigrants at Guantanamo Bay, and commented on issues ranging from migrant violence to wildfire policies in California.
For Trump, speaking constantly is not only about advancing