Overview
- At the White House ceremony, President Trump shifted from an Iran war update to describe a new ballroom project, pointing to gold drapes concealing construction and joking about constant hammering.
- Trump said the ballroom would cost $400 million or less and insisted it is privately funded with “not a penny to the taxpayer,” calling it a future “most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world.”
- The event honored three service members with the Medal of Honor, including a living award to retired Command Sgt. Maj. Terry P. Richardson and posthumous awards to Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis and Master Sgt. Roderick W. Edmonds.
- News reports say four U.S. service members have been killed and more than a dozen wounded since strikes began Saturday, and Trump projected operations could run four to five weeks with capacity to continue longer.
- A clip of the ballroom remarks spread rapidly on X and drew sharp criticism from Democrats including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Andy Kim, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan over tone and priorities.