Taciturn

Taciturn (pronounced tas-i-turn)

(1) Inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.

(2) Dour, stern, reticent, quiet and silent in expression and manner.

1765-1775; From the Latin taciturnus (quiet, maintaining silence) derived from tacitus (silent) and tacēre (to be silent).  In french it’s taciturne; (feminine taciturna, masculine plural taciturns, feminine plural taciturnes).

Silent Cal

Not all US presidents have been as voluble as Donald Trump.  President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933; US president 1923-1929) was famously taciturn and widely known as silent Cal.  When news of his death was announced, Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) is said to have remarked, "How can they tell?"  Still, when he did speak, what he said could be pithy.  Having unexpectedly been chosen by the Republican National Convention as Warren Harding's (1865–1923; US president 1921-1923) running mate in 1920, he assumed the presidency upon Harding death and in 1924 declined to nominate his own vice-presidential candidate, again leaving it to the convention on that basis that in 1920 they'd "...picked a durned good man".

Silent Cal, silent.

Silent Cal, listening.  The White House was an early adopter of the telephone, the first device installed in the telegraph room in 1877 during the administration of Rutherford B Hayes (1822–1893; US president 1877-1881).  The handset was moved to the Oval Office during his presidency.