How It Works

When our system scans a news article, it assigns a location score based on several factors. First, it checks whether the article mentions any of the 70+ known presidential locations in our database — these include the White House, Mar-a-Lago, Camp David, Trump National Golf Club properties, Air Force One departure and arrival airports, and other venues the president is known to frequent. Each location mention earns base points.

Next, the algorithm looks for presence-indicating language. Phrases like "arrived at," "is currently at," "departed from," or "was seen at" significantly boost the score because they suggest the president is physically at that location rather than merely being discussed in relation to it. City and state references that match a known location add additional points, as does the source's reliability weight — Reuters and the White House press office carry the highest weight (10/10), while general news aggregators carry lower weights.

The final confidence score displayed on the tracker represents the aggregate strength of evidence from all sources reporting the same location. A location confirmed by three high-weight sources with strong presence language might score 95%, while a single moderate-weight source with indirect language might produce a score of 40%. Our threshold for displaying a location change on the map is set to ensure only well-supported positions appear in the tracker.