Sarah Matthews calls Ford's Theatre idea a misplaced priority
Sarah MatthewsThe Bulwark contributor and former White House deputy press secretary
Sarah Matthews criticized the reported discussion as an effort to soothe Trump's ego while the administration faced other problems.
“They have to be concerned with soothing our big baby president's ego... And those are their priorities right now.”
Original video
Where this statement fits
Did Trump Aides Discuss Putting His Name on Ford's Theatre?
On September 23, 2026, MS NOW reported that Trump administration officials had discussed affixing Donald Trump's name to Ford's Theatre in some unspecified way. The report relied on unnamed sources, including one current administration official who said the idea had been discussed. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the change was never discussed. Trump called the report a lie, and White House and Interior Department spokespeople also denied it. No public document or named source has confirmed the reported discussion.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Sarah Matthews criticized the reported naming discussion as a misplaced White House priority and described it as an attempt to satisfy Trump's ego.
Before the quotation
Matthews cited MS NOW's report that Trump aides were discussing government sites that could carry his name.
After the quotation
She said the administration was prioritizing Trump's ego while facing a war, rising prices and other problems.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the reported discussion of attaching Trump's name to Ford's Theatre, Matthews criticized the administration's priorities and described the idea as an effort to soothe Trump's ego.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump, The White House
More from this case
Read the full caseDonald Trump calls the Ford's Theatre report a lie
“want to affix my name to Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, is a ridiculous lie.”Read statement
Steven Cheung says the Ford's Theatre change was never discussed
“This change was never discussed and we even issued a flat-out denial.”Read statement
White House Rapid Response says the Ford's Theatre report is completely made up
The White House
“Total Fake News trash - just completely made up.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Sarah Matthews calls Ford's Theatre idea a misplaced priority
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/2199-sarah-matthews-criticized-the-reported-discussion-as-an
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Sarah Matthews calls Ford's Theatre idea a misplaced priority". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/2199-sarah-matthews-criticized-the-reported-discussion-as-an