Trump Defends Doubling Cost Of White House Ballroom As ‘Under Budget’
President Donald Trump is defending the ballooning costs of his White House ballroom as “necessary” and “under budget.”
In a Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump said the price tag on his project has doubled due to “deep rooted studies” that led to the building’s size doubling and being “higher quality.”
“The original price was 200 Million Dollars, the double sized, highest quality completed project will be something less than 400 Million Dollars,” he wrote.
Trump previously said the project would be privately funded.
“It will be magnificent, safe, and secure!” Trump went on in his post. “This was a necessary change, it was done long ago, but the Fake News failed to report it, trying to make it look like there was a cost overrun. Actually, it is coming in ahead of schedule, and under budget!”
His defense follows Republicans on Monday requesting $1 billion from taxpayers to pay for security upgrades that would go to the ballroom, and other parts of the White House, as part of a $72 billion spending package.
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Trump’s War On Iran Reveals ‘America’s Failure’: The Atlantic
Defeat in the U.S. war on Iran will look very different from past conflicts. There may not be “calamitous losses,” like those suffered during World War II or Vietnam, but President Donald Trump’s failure in Iran will still have long- and far-ranging consequences.
According to Robert Kagan in The Atlantic, the U.S. and Israel may have bombed Iran and destroyed the bulk of its military, but the war will not end with a triumphant or rousing victory. Even with much of the country’s leadership dead, the regime hasn’t collapsed. The Strait of Hormuz will no longer be “open” as it once was, and Iran now has more power over global trade. Plus, Iranian allies China and Russia have seen their positions on the world stage strengthened, whereas the United States’ reputation has been “substantially diminished.”
“Far from demonstrating American prowess, as supporters of the war have repeatedly claimed, the conflict has revealed an America that is unreliable and incapable of finishing what it started,” Kagan wrote. “That is going to set off a chain reaction around the world as friends and foes adjust to America’s failure.”
Read more in The Atlantic:
Photo Of The Day: Passengers Head Home After Hantavirus Outbreak Halts Cruise
A Spanish passenger is sprayed with disinfectant before boarding a plane after disembarking from the cruise ship MV Hondius at Tenerife airport in the Canary Islands, Spain, on May 10, 2026.
All of the cruise ship's passengers were escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks, then flown home aboard military and government planes. According to The Associated Press, those planes will return to more than 20 countries.
Savannah Guthrie Makes Mother's Day Post Nearly 100 Days After Mom's Abduction
Savannah Guthrie celebrated Mother’s Day by posting a montage of photos and videos featuring her mother and noted how much she missed her.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen on Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. Evidence in her Tucson, Ariz., home and on security camera footage led the authorities to announce that she had been taken from her house “against her will.”
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Trump Revisits Bonkers Claim That 'Beautiful Little Babies’ Are Getting A 'Vat' Of Vaccines
President Donald Trump made an outlandish claim about early childhood vaccine recommendations, lamenting that “beautiful little babies” were given a “vat ... of stuff pumped into their bodies.”
“I believe in vaccines, but I don’t believe that, you know, you have to have a mandate for all of them,” Trump said.
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Obama Sends Happy Mother's Day Wishes To Michelle – And All Moms
President Barack Obama posted on X early Sunday morning to wish former first lady Michelle Obama – and all moms – a Happy Mother's Day. He also shared a lovely family picture.
Trump Has Posted 15+ ‘Truths’ Sunday — But Not Once To Wish Melania Happy Mother's Day
President Donald Trump seemed to spend much of Sunday with his phone. He posted no less than 15 items on Truth Social — complaining about the Supreme Court, various Democrats, Iran, the Reflecting pool, etc. — but didn’t make a single mention of Mother’s Day.
He didn’t even wish the first lady, Melania, a Happy Mother’s Day.
Here’s hoping one of his staffers reminds him of this important oversight before it’s too late.
Trump Promotes Claim He Has A 'Better Understanding' Of The Bible Than Pope Leo
Donald Trump on Saturday promoted a controversial Baptist pastor’s claim that he has a better grasp on the Bible than Pope Leo XIV just days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the pontiff to try and cool U.S.-Vatican tensions.
“The great irony is it looks like President Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the pope has,” said the evangelical Christian leader in a Fox News clip shared by the president on his Truth Social platform.
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DOJ Considering A Third Comey Indictment: Washington Post
The Justice Department is weighing a third indictment of former FBI director James B. Comey, The Washington Post reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
The Post reports the potential third indictment would relate to the first failed indictment of Comey, which accused the former FBI director of lying to Congress in 2018. That case was dismissed after a judge found the prosecutor who secured the indictment was illegally appointed.
Comey was indicted a second time last week over a post of seashells on social media that prosecutors say threatened the president.
President Donald Trump's push to prosecute the former FBI director has squeezed the DOJ, as several prosecutors have departed and a major terrorism case has been disrupted, the report said.
Read more at The Washington Post: