Talk:Presidential call button

Should this have its own page?
This article is a stub, and it doesn't look like it is particularly notable in its own right (albeit somewhat amusing). There isn't a great deal of information on the internet that I can see about it (such as how it originated, when it was installed, etc.)

Should this be merged into Donald Trump or Oval Office?

FrogCrazy (talk) 07:30, 22 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Merge into Presidency of Donald Trump. Mateussf (talk) 15:26, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 * It's interesting enough, with enough citations, and no specific section to put it that really fits... I'd say it's good how it is. ɱ  (talk) 19:36, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Seems fine, and an interesting Oval Office "inside baseball" page. Randy Kryn (talk) 20:23, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Resolute Desk's Red Button topic should be moved into Oval Office page or perhaps Resolute desk page? The button has been around since Clinton at least. --YitzhakNat (talk) 19:16, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

The Button Used For Decades
Are we sure that the AP article (citation [4]) actually states that the button has been used for decades? This is the sentence that the page is likely referencing:

"With the push of a red button placed on the Resolute Desk that presidents have used for decades, a White House butler soon arrived with a Coke for the president."

I personally interpret this to mean that the Resolute Desk has been used for decades, not the button itself. Additional citations are likely needed. WikiWonder159 (talk) 17:28, 22 January 2021 (UTC)

Another citation directly states that Obama used the button to order tea. In any case, it seems unlikely that Trump had this button installed - the button exists as a way for presidents to request assistance; as such I think this article is wholly misleading - it paints a picture of Trump as infantile, installing a button to order diet cokes, and presents that as the buttons purpose when in reality this is not the case. Though Trump may in reality be a divisive figure, I don't believe this article should have a place on Wikipedia (unless updated to reflect the true nature of the buttons purpose) if we are to maintain it as unbiased. Ryanscorer17 (talk) 10:43, 23 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I understand your point, but the article is currently clear that Trump didn't have the button installed himself, and seems to be quite factual in nature to me; the sources are very clear that he did use the button exclusively for ordering Diet Coke. Not saying it should necessarily continue to exist as its own article, taking into account WP:PAGEDECIDE; I suppose there could be an argument that this should be merged into the Resolute desk article as being part of the history of that desk, or into Presidency of Donald Trump (although that article's quite long already!). I quite enjoy that a standalone page does exist, but I accept that's not the criteria. :) Chocmilk03 (talk) 12:03, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
 * This article ["Biden brought the button Trump used to order Diet Cokes back to the Oval Office"] says "But it appears the call button — which has been around for decades — is back." --BIL (talk) 20:02, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

Other presidents
I just added a picture of the button on the desk under Obama. Here are images of it also on the desk under the W. Bush and Clinton presidencies just form a quick glance in Commons. I didnt see any images with it for H.W. bush or Reagan. Is there more info out there about this button for other presidents? If so, it may be worth a stand alone article.--Found5dollar (talk) 23:51, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Just found these free to use images of the button during the W. Bush presidency. --Found5dollar (talk) 20:53, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

additional references
I don't really have time to plop this into the article right now, but here is another reference. Its a segment in a book describing how Trump played pranks with the button and a description of the button and box it sits in.--Found5dollar (talk) 00:11, 24 January 2021 (UTC) Here's another. A Getty image of the button during W. Bush Administration in Time. Called "A call button for President Bush".

LBJ's soda buttons
I just added a few sentences about the buttons LBJ had in the Oval Office to summon drinks as well. I suggested on the AFD page that the article is renamed and expanded to include other presidential call buttons such as these. These are so closely related to the "Diet Coke" button I figured there was no harm adding them to the current article. please feel free to move around or edit if there is disagreement. --Found5dollar (talk) 23:47, 26 January 2021 (UTC)

Rename Suggestion
I think something like Presidential Call Button would be the best name for this page. "Oval Office Call Button" was also suggested on the AFD page but as has been pointed out it wasn't always used just in that room. --HistoricalAccountings (talk) 18:01, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

Nuclear war button
I many years ago heard the joke "The president shows a friend the white house. On the office desk there are three buttons. The president explains: "If I press the red button, nuclear missiles are sent to the Soviet Union. If I press the yellow button, nuclear missiles are sent to China. If I press the black button, I get a cup of coffee.". When I search on google for oval office button excluding year 2021 in hope for sources on earlier usage, including preferred beverage by former presidents, several sources describe a myth of a war button. Examples:    . --BIL (talk) 20:12, 31 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I notice now that there is a mention in the article of Trump joking about the war button, and even an article nuclear button about this myth. Anyway, since the button has been used for a long time to call for an assistant to get in, the article should change name. Media call it "Coke button" at present, but they are more short-sighted than Wikipedia.--BIL (talk) 20:31, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

Requested move 31 January 2021

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: Moved (non-admin closure) BegbertBiggs (talk) 00:53, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

Diet Coke button → Presidential call button – Let's begin an official move request. Per the AFD discussion I believe this article should be renamed and expanded. What makes the most sense after that discussion is to expand this article to encompass all presidential call buttons, not just this one. We can expand the info on Johnson's call buttons, the various ones Obama had, the remains of the call button system on the Cabinet table now in the treaty room, etc. This approach allows the story of the Diet Coke button to still be prominent on Wikipedia but placed in context with other buttons presidents have used through history to call for aides. Found5dollar (talk) 22:57, 31 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Support. This proposal seems to make sense. Some sources do call it the "Diet Coke button" in the context of Trump's presidency, but it's also very often called simply a button, red button, or call button. Station1 (talk) 06:13, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support. For the same reasons I gave in the AFD discussion. In summary it has been used by multiple Presidents in multiple places. Tango Mike Bravo (talk) 07:57, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support. This seems to be the best rename option of the various options that have been floated: it's specific enough and accurate. Chocmilk03 (talk) 08:29, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support. Suggested above so also adding my support here. HistoricalAccountings (talk) 11:14, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support Diet Coke button would only make sense if we decided to make a separate article for that particular button.--65.92.160.124 (talk) 23:47, 1 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Support The button has been used by several presidents to get assistance or beverage according to president's instructions.--BIL (talk) 20:09, 4 February 2021 (UTC)

Sitting in a box, or set into a box?
A few sources do describe the button as something that "sits in a rectangular wooden box", implying that the lid has to be opened for the button to be pressed. But photos of the object clearly show a pushable red button on the lid of the box. Lord Belbury (talk) 15:20, 16 October 2022 (UTC)

Not a butler
It's unlikely that a butler would have brought drinks in to the Oval Office. The butlers work only in the Residence, not in the West Wing offices. We have four sources for "butler" but they all come down to tweets from visitors to the White House who probably didn't know the differences between a butler and a valet. An aide (Chris Sims) says it was a steward. But I've got a source that says it was Walt Nauta, who was a valet, and that's much more likely than a butler. So I'm going to change it. GA-RT-22 (talk) 21:53, 11 June 2023 (UTC)