The White House TiVos are set; Trump, Pence call Kavanaugh

President Donald Trump will be traveling back to the White House from New York during the opening hours of the hearing, which could keep him from watching live coverage of the full proceedings. Christine Blasey Ford is set to testify first, followed by Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have both phoned Kavanaugh to voice their support for him ahead of the hearing. Trump had a message for Kavanaugh when they spoke, per someone familiar with the call: be aggressive and forceful in your denials. Don't be afraid to push back on these allegations, Trump said.

An official said Thursday that the full recording will be waiting for the President when he returns to the White House.

"I'm going to be watching, you know, believe it or not," Trump said Wednesday. "I'm going to see what's said."

This, of course, is typical for the President, who routinely records -- and reacts on Twitter -- to television news programs. He once told Time magazine DVRs are "one of the great inventions of all time."

Trump can watch TV aboard Air Force One as he flies from JFK Airport in New York to Joint Base Andrews late Thursday morning. But he will likely have some gaps in his viewing during transit, likely during at least some of Ford's testimony.

The President said Wednesday that he'd be watching -- surprising no one, of course, given his penchant for judging the performance of his aides, Cabinet officials and nominees in their television briefings, hearings and interviews. He was critical of Kavanaugh's appearance earlier this week on Fox News, describing it to one associate as "wooden."

A White House official said they did not believe the president would be tweeting during the hearing but added that was far from certain.

"As everyone knows by now, he decides when to tweet," the official said.