Virginia boy offers to mow White House lawn; Trump invites him to meet White House groundskeeper
WASHINGTON - White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that she would occasionally read letters during her press briefings that are sent from people around the country to President Donald Trump.
Last week, she read a letter from a 9-year-old boy named Dylan, also known to his friends as "Pickle," telling Trump that he is his favorite president while also wondering why he wasn't liked. He also asked Trump how much money he had and what the size of the White House was.
At her press briefing on Wednesday, Sanders read another letter -- this time from a Virginia boy named Frank Giaccio, who just turned 11 years old. In the letter, the Falls Church boy offered President Trump to mow the lawn at the White House for free.
Frank wrote to the president:
Dear Mr. President:
It would be my honor to mow the White House lawn some weekend for you. Even though I'm only ten, I would like to show the nation what young people like me are ready for. I admire your business background and have started my own business. I have been mowing my neighbors' lawns for some time. Please see the attached flier. Here's a list of what I have and you are free to pick whatever you want: power mower, push mower, and weed whacker. I can bring extra fuel for the power mower and charged batteries for the weed whacker. I will do this at no charge.
"Frank, I'm happy to report back to you that I just spoke with the president," Sanders said after reading his letter at the press briefing. "He wanted me to be sure and tell you that you are doing a great job and keep working hard."
Sanders also said that Trump has invited Frank to spend a morning with the White House groundskeeper.
"They would love to show you how the U.S. Park Service maintains the 18 acres of the White House complex and he would love to give you the opportunity to cut the grass in the Rose Garden," Sanders said. "It's our responsibility to keep the American Dream alive for kids like Frank, immigrants who are already here and those who dream of immigrating here in the future."
Frank, known as "FX" to his family and friends, is currently on summer break across the pond in Ireland.
"It was just a couple of hours for us to get the news over to Ireland," his father Gregory said.
Frank's father said he helped his son type up the letter back in the spring.
"Trump being a business person and having that background, [Frank] said, 'Do you think I could mow his lawn?' And I said you should certainly write and ask," Gregory recalled.
Gregory said just like his son's business acumen, the letter to Trump was the 11-year-old's idea.
"So far, our business is localized to our street, but we have an elderly neighbor we help out once in a while sort of pro bono and he has several paying customers," said the proud father.
Frank is a Boy Scout and school safety patrol heading into the sixth grade this fall. But for now, he is keeping his career options open.
"He wants to be a knight," Gregory said. "I hope landscaping is something he can fall back into if he doesn't make it into knight school."
This is the second letter Frank has sent to the White House. A few years ago, he wrote to President Barack Obama and received a letter back from the White House in response.
As for his impending White House lawnmowing visit, no date has been set as of yet.