Trump to unveil $25BILLION ‘Golden Dome’ defense project

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

President Trump is set to speak to reporters about his proposed ‘Golden Dome’ system to protect the nation from missile attacks.

The plan would rely on land and space-based missiles in an effort to safeguard the massive U.S. land mass.

It is a costly and logistically challenging undertaking that dwarfs the sophisticated air defenses that guard Israel. The Congressional Budget Office estimated just the space-based portion could cost up to half a trillion over two decades. Trump is seeking $25 billion for it in his ‘big, beautiful bill’ including his tax breaks.

He is expected to announce that Gen. Michael Guetlein, the vice chief of space operations, will oversee the massive new defense system.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing to kids on ‘take your sons and daughters to work day’ that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would appear with Trump at his 3 pm event at the White House.

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tossed out euphemisms and had to dodge a few curveballs fielding questions from kids at a special ‘take our sons and daughters to work day’ briefing.

‘How many people has he fired?’ one tyke wanted to know.

‘Thus far we have not actually had anyone fired with the exception of one individual who did leave their job,’ Leavitt said, in a likely reference glossing over the fate of former NSC head Mike Waltz and his Signal scandal.

One kid asked for her assessment of the state of the border, and Leavitt revealed that ‘I think your dad works for the homeland security council.’

What is Trump’s favorite food? ‘He likes to eat big, beautiful steak,’ replied Leavitt, 27, who is herself a new mom.

Nora Spiering, 11, tried to put Leavitt on the spot by asking who is Trump’s favorite president ‘besides himself.’

Her answer acknowledged that ‘it would probably be himself,’ she allowed, before reaching for George Washington. Her brother Robert Spiering, 9, tried to glean new information about Trump’s favorite McDonald’s meal, but Leavitt safely answered burgers and fries.

She did reveal that ‘I have seen him eat ice cream sundaes,’ sticking to what she has personally observed. As for what superpower the president would seek, Trump wishes he could ‘snap his fingers’ to get things done.

Leavitt even brought up Trump’s Monday trip to the Capitol where his ‘big, beautiful bill’ is stalled.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley, 43, posted to her Instagram story in honor of her father.

Ashley posted on Tuesday morning an image of her alongside the former president, and featuring the song Father and Daughter by Paul Simon.

I will be right by his side through it all. Like he has been by mine every day of my life.

‘There is no safer place than in my father’s arms. The strongest fighter I know,’ Ashley wrote in captioning an image of her embracing her father.

Facing pressure over Republican opposition to his ‘big, beautiful bill,’ President Donald Trump snapped at a reporter in the Capitol Tuesday.

The moment came when a reporter asked Trump to respond to comments by conservative Rep. Andy Harris saying Trump had failed to persuade enough critics to vote for the massive trillion-dollar bill.

‘We’re still along ways away,’ said Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., who heads the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

‘Who do you work for?’ Trump asked the reporter, who responded that he was affiliated with NOTUS, a digital nonprofit owned by the Albritton Journalism Institute.

‘Who?’ Trump asked, prompting the reporter to repeat the name of his outlet. ‘I don’t even know what the hell that is – get yourself a real job,’ he sneered.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Melania Trump joined the children of White House staff in making flags for Take Your Child to Work Day.

She hosted the activity for the kids in the First Ladies’ Garden outside the East Wing. She waved and shook hands with the parents, who stood on the sidelines for the event.

‘Tell me some stories,’ she said to the children as she joined them at the picnic tables. ‘What do you do? What do you like to do?’

Several children brought their flags to the first lady to show off their work. Some of the wore ‘Gulf of America’ baseball caps, which were in the gift bags handed out.

Melania also decorated a flag of her own, adding two giant glitter stars to the traditional 13 stripes.

She encouraged the children to check out the other events on the White House lawn, which included a cookie booth, a Secret Service demonstration and access to the putting green.

‘Thank your parents for what they do,’ she told the children, whose parents work in the Executive Office of the President. ‘Thank your parents for their service.’

The president’s daughter gushed online now that the Senate has confirmed her father-in-law Charles Kushner as U.S. ambassador to France following his nomination by her father President Trump.

Ivanka Trump sent her congratulations, called him ‘dad,’ and celebrated in French.

‘Félicitations, papa. Je suis fière de toi!’ she wrote, with U.S. and French flag emojis.

Trump pardoned Kushner in 2020 after he pleaded guilty to making false statements and witness tampering. His nomination passed the Senate with 51 votes, with only Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Lisa Murkowski voting in opposition.

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

Trump talked up his recently concluded trip to the Middle East, after announcing multi-billion investments deals in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

‘I went to the Middle East. And those leaders of those three countries are powerful people. They respect our country. China was going to take them over,’ Trump said at the Capitol after meeting with GOP lawmakers.

‘They’re not going to China anymore – they love us and we love them,’ Trump said. He brought up the trip after discussing the economy, saying ‘everybody’s buying eggs, groceries are down’ and ‘they’re buying gasoline now for $1.99,’ although today’s AAA average national gas price is $3.18.

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

President Trump dissed a key House Republican who is among a group of relative centrists pushing to raise the cap on state and local tax deductions that is hammering homeowners in his districts.

The current cap imposed by Trump’s 2017 tax cuts is set at $10,000. A group of moderates wants to raise it to $30,000 to bring in pricey real estate in their districts.

‘There’s some people that want a couple of things that maybe I don’t like or that they’re not going to get,’ Trump said before the closed door meeting with House Republicans. Budget-cutting conservatives are opposing the move.

Trump used the meeting to push back at Rep. Mike Lawler, a potential candidate for governor of New York.

Fox News reported that Trump told Republicans: ‘I know your district better than you do. If you lose because of SALT, you were going to lose anyway.’

Lawler has been telling Republicans Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill will fail without a deal with lawmakers seeking to boost the deduction. Trump began the day by attacking the policy move as coming from Blue states governed by political rivals. ‘They’re all Democrat states,’ Trump said.

During the closed-door meeting with House Republicans, Trump apparently said that Medicaid wouldn’t be touched in his ‘big beautiful bill’ negotiations.

‘Don’t f*** around on Medicaid,’ Trump said, sources in room told CNN.

Negotiations over just how much to cut and where are proving tricky as Medicaid is popular in many GOP-controlled districts, potentially exposing the lawmakers to challenges in the midterms next year.

Attacking the government health program that provides healthcare for close to 80 million Americans, about 25 percent of the U.S. population, including children, the elderly and the sick, has been an unpopular position for any lawmakers.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

President Donald Trump threatened Republican ‘grandstanders’ who won’t vote for his ‘big, beautiful bill,’ warning that they won’t be members of the party much longer if they go against him.

The president went to Capitol Hill to attend the House Republicans’ weekly meeting in an attempt to unify lawmakers in his party behind his budget package. Or else.

‘This is the biggest tax cut in the history of our country or you will get a 68% tax increase,’ he said of the proposal.

‘If that happens, what Republican could vote for that to happen because they wouldn’t be a Republican much longer. They would be knocked out so fast.’
Trump, in the past, has backed primary challengers to Republican lawmakers who voted against him.

‘I’m a cheerleader for this party and the country. Much more importantly for the country,’ he told reporters on Capitol Hill. ‘But I’m a cheerleader for the party and we are going to go up and I think have a very good discussion.’

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor

President Donald Trump ripped an effort by lawmakers from blue-leaning states to try to eliminate the $10,000 cap known ask the SALT deduction.

The limit on state and local tax write-offs is a major sticking point on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ but the president on Monday insisted he has not plans to deal a win to states run by leading political rivals.

‘SALT is a very interesting thing,’ Trump told reporters, before ripping Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as someone who ‘is going nowhere’ and the ‘worst governor in the country.’ Then he attacked ‘Gavin Newscum’ in California. ‘

‘Those are the people that want this and they’re Democrat states. They’re all Democrat states,’ Trump said, although House Republicans in his former home state of New York are also pushing to lift the cap, which dates to Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

‘We’re going to be making a couple of tweaks. We don’t want to benefit Democrat governors,’ Trump said. Both Pritzker and Gavin Newsom are potential Democratic contenders for president in 2028.

President Donald Trump stunned guests at a formal Kennedy Center board dinner on Monday evening with a profane remark during a wide-ranging speech that mixed his political grievances with sharp criticism of the arts institution’s previous leadership.

Speaking in the White House State Dining Room to newly appointed Kennedy Center trustees and administration officials, Trump referenced the 2020 election while discussing his role in bringing major global sporting events to the United States.

‘We got the Olympics and then we got through Gianni, he’s the boss, he’s a friend of mine, we got the World Cup,’ Trump said. ‘I got them both and I said, “Man, I won’t be president and they’re gonna forget that I got them. Nobody’s gonna mention it.”‘

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden struggled in the last months of the 2024 presidential campaign, but one event in particular effectively ended their efforts to include him in events.

Biden also initially wanted to wait a few days before endorsing her for president.

She was not happy about that idea.

Trump posted on Truth Social last week:

Republicans MUST UNITE behind, “THE ONE, BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL!” Not only does it cut Taxes for ALL Americans, but it will kick millions of Illegal Aliens off of Medicaid to PROTECT it for those who are the ones in real need.

The Country will suffer greatly without this Legislation, with their Taxes going up 65%. It will be blamed on the Democrats, but that doesn’t help our Voters.

We don’t need “GRANDSTANDERS” in the Republican Party. STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE! It is time to fix the MESS that Biden and the Democrats gave us.

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Melania Trump added her signature as husband Donald signed a bill into law that she strongly campaigned for.

It was an unprecedented move for a first lady and one that showed Melania’s ownership of the cause.

The new Take It Down Act provides protections for victims of revenge porn and it marked her first major legislative success.