Conversation with John (Secret Service) - White House Security Insights

Summary

On May 16, 2025, Gary Sheng had a spontaneous conversation with John, a Black Secret Service agent stationed outside the White House. The conversation occurred while Gary was preparing to enter the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for a meeting with Paula White, Trump's spiritual state office director. John provided valuable security protocol information and shared personal insights about his career in the Secret Service, historical knowledge about the White House complex, and observations about working with high-level officials.

Key Discussion Points

White House Security Protocols

John provided detailed guidance on entering the Eisenhower Executive Office Building:

• Entry Procedure: "Coming off 17th, you're gonna go in State Place. You'll check in at that little booth right off the state place. And then you're gonna go up the ramp into the building right here."
• Security Recommendations: "Don't bring a bunch of stuff... just have, like, some, rare vitals... just make sure everything's easy to put in an x-ray... Once you get up to the checkpoint, just have everything out of your pocket in your bag... easier for you to go through check-in."
• Access Levels: Noted that as a U.S. citizen, Gary "doesn't need to be escorted around" unlike foreign nationals.

Historical Context on White House Security

John shared insights on the evolution of White House security:

• Pennsylvania Avenue: "There used to be regular traffic out here. This used to be a regular roadway. So... cars used to just be rolling back and forth."
• Oklahoma City Impact: "Ever since, the bombing of... Oklahoma City. They did the low down." - Indicating security perimeters expanded following the 1995 bombing.
• Recent Incidents: Mentioned "U truck tried to drive" - likely referring to a recent security incident.
• Ongoing Security: "If we're on that exterior posts, you still check plain viewing cars, because every now and then, you see some weird stuff in cars and you have to find out what it's about, whether it's gas, jugs filled up in a corolla."

Eisenhower Executive Office Building

John displayed knowledge about the building's architecture and history:

• Architecture: "It's got 900 exterior columns."
• Historical Reception: "They used to call it an atrocity back in the day... Cause, it was built there in a horrible time. Great Depression era."
• Public Perception: "Most people think [the] president should be in that one. Because it's so big."

Secret Service Operations

John offered candid insights into his role:

• Job Flexibility: "We have guys that are on [fixed] post, and it's really flexible job... I just like being a regular cop, so I'll be on the feet or I'll be sometimes in the house, sometimes I'll be in old buildings, sometimes I'll be in new buildings."
• Shift Information: Mentioned he had been on duty "since 2:00 a.m." that day.
• Protocol with Officials: "Our job is to be on post, to make sure it's protected. So, like, Biden, I did meet him and take a picture of him, but... our job is to be like, 'Hey, sir,' you know. So, we don't go out of our way to honestly bother them."

Public Events at White House

When discussing potential public events:

• Regular Activities: "There's a lot of musicians that play over there" and described an "unofficial block party every day."
• Official Events: "They usually do something big over here for July 4th."
• Protests: "There's always a protest out here. That's... I've gotten used to that, as part of this job... Sometimes there'll be people that just show up, but we haven't [been] told about them coming... sometimes it can be 10 people... Sometimes it's 100 people."
• Security Limitations: When asked about Trump hosting a block party: "It's like too much of a safety hazard. I have too many people here."

Personal Connection with Officials

John shared a warm anecdote about VP Kamala Harris:

"The nicest person to me, personally, that I've met... VP Harris... she was nice to me... She always lean forward and wave whenever the motorcade was going by. And then when I met her... she stopping... she stopped talking to whoever... she stopped talking though, she came over to me."

Regarding other officials: "Current president, obviously, he's been in my vicinity, but, you know... our job is to be on post."

Personal Background

John shared aspects of his career and interests:

• Prior Service: "I was stationed [in Austin, Texas] before... 2014. I was there for that shooting... I was there when specialist [Lopez]... I wasn't in the vicinity, but I was on base."
• VP Detail: "I was at the VP [residence] for a year."
• Music Taste: Enjoys alternative rock ("Kings of Leon... The Killers") and "old school" hip-hop ("De La Soul").

Contextual Information

The conversation revealed Gary was visiting the White House to meet with Paula White:

"I'm here for Paula White. Trump's spiritual state office director. She, um, she's a pastor who was mentored by T.D. Jakes... she is interested in my mature... I'm working on a big festival... like a festival... We're trying to [have] one here."

Gary also mentioned connections to hip-hop figures, stating he was "about to meet up with RZA in New York" and had recently met with Raekwon. He also mentioned connections to "the other co-founder of Death Row" who is "working with Trump on school choice stuff" and "the guy that discovered [Kanye West]."

Observations

The conversation revealed several noteworthy aspects:

1. Site Security: White House security practices have evolved significantly, with increased security perimeters and continuous surveillance.

2. Professional Culture: Secret Service maintains professional distance from officials while remaining observant and alert to potential threats.

3. Informal Networks: John's willingness to share insights suggests potential value in developing relationships with security personnel for contextual understanding of White House operations.

4. Historical Knowledge: Security personnel may possess valuable institutional knowledge about facilities and operations not widely known to the public.

Next Steps

1. Consider maintaining casual contact with John during future White House visits if appropriate.
2. Apply the security guidance for smooth entry to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
3. Note the procedural information for future reference with team members who may visit White House complex.