Melania Trump

Oct. 31 (UPI) — The White House is taking heat for construction and remodeling projects initiated by President Donald Trump as it opens up for tours again, and the president was touting the work being done in social media posts Friday.

Trump showed off images of the Lincoln Bedroom’s newly remodeled bathroom, which was lined from floor to ceiling with what he said was “black and white polished Statuary marble.”

He claimed the bathroom was “very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!” Trump made seven Truth Social posts about the bathroom renovations with multiple photos.

The bathroom has gold fixtures and a large chandelier.

Critics were quick to point out that while people are losing health insurance and food benefits, Trump was busy remodeling.

“Donald Trump actually cares more about his toilet than he does about fixing your healthcare,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on X.

“Millions of people are being kicked off of food assistance and millions can’t afford health care anymore. But don’t worry everyone! Trump got a new bathroom,” commentator Harry Sisson said on X. “So tone deaf, out of touch, and disgusting.”

Visitors might get a glimpse soon as first lady Melania Trump announced Friday that tours will reopen at the White House on Dec. 2, “with an updated route offering guests the opportunity to experience the history and beauty of the People’s House,” a press release said.

“The decorations in each room will be thoughtfully designed and curated under the direction of first lady Melania Trump,” the release said. “Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the beloved annual tradition that transforms the White House into a festive reflection of the spirit, warmth, faith and hope of the holiday season.”

Trump’s critics are also making life difficult for construction companies that have government contracts to work on the new ballroom where the East Wing once stood.

Many of the contractors have taken down their websites, saying the sites are undergoing maintenance as people make posts and send e-mails shaming them for their work, the New York Daily News reported.

“How dare you destroy the people’s house!!!! You are a traitor and should be driven out of business. … You suck!” said one review left on a company’s Yelp page Thursday.

“Backstabbers who hate America and worship the AntiChrist. Took money from Trump and did work without a valid permit. These people are scum,” another said.

Demolition began on the East Wing to build the $300 million ballroom Oct. 20, sparking anger because of the speed of the demolition and lack of proper permits and notice.

Trump also announced on Truth Social Friday that he had inspected construction on the Kennedy Center. Earlier, The Washington Post reported that ticket sales for the center had dropped appreciably since Trump took over the performing arts venue and purged its board.

“It is really looking good!” he wrote. “The exterior columns, which were in serious danger of corrosion if something weren’t done, are completed, and look magnificent in White Enamel — Like a different place!

“Marble is being done, stages are being renovated, new seats, new chairs and new fabrics will soon be installed, and magnificent high-end carpeting throughout the building,” Trump wrote.

Sept. 17 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump‘s visit to England with King Charles III at Windsor Castle on Wednesday has sparked large protests in London and at Windsor.

Police estimated there were about 5,000 protesters at Parliament Square in London, and a smaller protest gathered outside of Windsor Castle.

Trump is unlikely to see the protests since most of his day and evening will be spent inside Windsor Castle. On Wednesday evening, the king and Queen Camilla will host a banquet, at which Charles and Trump are expected to give speeches. The king’s speech was written on the advice of the United Kingdom government, BBC’s Chris Mason reported.

The protests were organized by the Stop Trump Coalition, a group of more than 50 unions and charities.

Some protesters carried signs with slogans written across them, including “no to racism,” “no to Trump” and “stop arming Israel,” BBC reported. The 20-foot-tall Trump Baby blimp that greeted the president during his visit in 2019 has been made into smaller balloons that some protestors carried.

Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Louise Puddefoot said police had been in close contact with the organizers and had asked them to be “considerate to the local community” and keep disruption to a minimum.

Before the march, a spokesperson for the coalition said: “A government that will bow down to Trump and to racism is one that will open the door to fascism.”

The protest groups said they would demonstrate to “defeat the politics of Trumpism” and to promote “an alternative, democratic vision of the world based on peace, social justice and international cooperation.”

The march ended at Parliament Square, and several people spoke on a stage. There was a performance by singer Billy Bragg, and speakers included former Labour Party members of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, comedian Nish Kumar and Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

Zoe Gardner, a political commentator and one of the organizers of the protest, said that the president “represents everything that we hate.”

“We want our government to show some backbone, and have a little bit of pride and represent that huge feeling of disgust at Donald Trump’s politics in the U.K.,” she said.

Auriel Dowty Glanville, a climate activist from Wimbledon, said she was demonstrating because climate change was “the biggest threat facing us on Earth.”

She said the government giving him a second state visit was “appalling,” saying, “It’s all about the trade deal.”

On Tuesday, four men were arrested for projecting large images and videos of Trump and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein on the walls of a turret at Windsor Castle. On Wednesday, as Trump toured the grounds and visited with the king, a van with a similar image was being driven around the castle, with the words, “Welcome to the U.K., Donald.” Police stopped the man and sent him on his way. He wasn’t arrested.

As the Trumps arrived via Marine One Wednesday morning, they were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales — William and Kate — and then by Charles and Camilla.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense described the ceremonial welcome as “unprecedented.”

The delegation was then taken on a carriage ride around the grounds of the castle. Trump and Charles rode in the gilded Irish Stage Coach. It’s the coach that Queen Elizabeth II used to travel to the State Opening of Parliament. The queen and first lady followed behind in the Scottish State Coach, which was built in 1830.

After the ride around the castle grounds, they went to the Quadrangle at the Castle to inspect the British Army Guard of Honor. The group of royals and American visitors then went inside for a private lunch.

The unprecedented nature of the visit is that second-term presidents don’t usually get state visits. Instead, they are invited for lunch or tea with the monarch. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush were treated to the usual protocol.

“This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented,” said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the White House in February. “I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us.”

British officials understand that Trump admires the royal family, so “if you have those assets, that opportunity, then why not absolutely make the most of it,” Matthew Doyle, a former communications director and adviser for Starmer, told CNN.

The president will travel on Thursday to Chequers, the prime minister’s country house in Buckinghamshire, where talks will begin. Agreements on “tech and trade” are expected to be discussed, Doyle said. Trump and Starmer will also meet with tech CEOs.

Doyle said Britain also wants to hear that Trump has a “plan to get Russia to the table,” adding that “Ukraine is clearly the biggest issue on the foreign agenda” for this meeting.

Posters calling for the release of the Epstein files are displayed on a wall in Washington, DC on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. On Tuesday, four people were arrested in Britain over projecting videos and photos of the two men together on Windsor Castle. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 17 (UPI) — Authorities in London have arrested four adults accused of being responsible for the projection of photos and videos of President Donald Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle on Tuesday night.

Uncorroborated video of the projection posted online shows it appeared to be a video detailing the connections and friends between Trump and Epstein involving videos and photos of them together.

The video was projected on London’s famed Windsor Castle ahead of Trump’s visit to London for a state visit.

Thames Valley Police said Tuesday night that four adults were arrested on “suspicion of malicious communications,” while describing the video protest as a “public stunt.”

“Our officers responded swiftly to stop the projection and four people have been arrested. We are conducting a thorough investigation with our partners into the circumstances surrounding this incident and will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so,” Chief Superintendent Felicity Parker of Thames Valley Police said in a statement.

All four suspects, whose identities have not been made public, remained in police custody as of Tuesday night.

Epstein died by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex-trafficking offenses.

The disgraced New York financier was a longtime assocaite of the president, and their relationship and questions surrounding it have dogged Trump for much of his second term.

Trump, who campaigned on releasing federal investigation files on Epstein, has received strong criticism from not only Democrats but from members of his on base for not making those documents public.

Late last month, a House committee released records from Epstein’s estate that included a birthday letter to Epstein from Peter Mandelson, resulting in British Prime Minister Keir Starmer firing him as London’s ambassador to the United States.

The committee last week also released a lewd, decades-old birthday note allegedly from Trump to Epstein.

Trump has attempted to brush the issue aside, calling it a “Democratic hoax” and the birthday note a “fake.”

The American president has sued both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal over their reporting on the letter.

Trump is scheduled to be in Britain from Wednesday through Friday, during which he is to visit Windsor Castle, where King Charles III will host him and first lady Melania Trump.

This will be Trump’s second state visit to Britain, following his first in 2019.

Sept. 11 (UPI) — President Donald Trump spoke at the Pentagon Thursday giving his condolences and telling the stories of those who died in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In his speech, Trump mentioned that the Pentagon was built 84 years ago, and “On Sept. 11, 2001, those same walls built with the sweat and muscle blood of our parents and grandparents were scarred by flame and shaken by terror as our country came face to face with pure evil on that fateful day, savage monsters attacked the very symbols of our civilization.”

“That terrible morning, 24 years ago, time itself stood still,” he went on. “The laughter of school children fell silent. The rush of our traffic came to an absolute halt, and for 2,977 innocent souls and their families, the entire world came crashing down so suddenly. … To every member that still feels a void every day of your lives, the first lady and I unite with you in sorrow and today, as one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget Sept. 11, 2001.”

Trump also mentioned the “Department of War,” what he’s renamed the Department of Defense, though it hasn’t yet been approved by Congress.

“In the years that followed, America’s warriors, avenged the fallen and sent an unmistakable message to every enemy around the world, ‘If you attack the United States of America, we will hunt you down, and we will find you, go all over the sometimes-magnificent Earth. We will crush you without mercy, and we will triumph without question.’

“That’s why we named the former Department of Defense the Department of War. It will be different. We won the first World War. We won the Second World War. We won everything before that and in between. And then we decided to change the name. Well, now we have it back to where we all want it. Everybody wanted it. Everybody is so happy to have it back. You will fail, and America will win, win, win. The enemy will always fail.”

He then went back to telling stories of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and the families of those killed.

At the beginning of his speech, Trump mentioned the “heinous assassination” of political commentator Charlie Kirk who was shot and killed while hosting an event in Utah on Wednesday.

“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife Erika [Frantzve] and his beautiful children. Fantastic people, they are,” Trump said.

He then announced that he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Before Trump spoke, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — introduced as Secretary of War — spoke, mentioning that “Islamist terrorists” attacked the United States.

“War is an enduring aspect of the human condition, a tool that, when wielded wisely, punishes enemies intent on terrorizing or subjugating our nation,” he said. “War must not become a mere tool for global social work eager to risk American blood and treasure for utopian fever dreams. We should hit hard, reap vengeance and return home.”

According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, 2,977 people died during the attacks, including 2,753 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon and 40 on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania.

The president is expected to travel to New York later Thursday to attend a Yankees game. The Yankees are expected to have a pregame ceremony to recognize the victims and heroes of 9/11.

Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to attend a ceremony in New York, but changed his schedule to head to Utah to offer condolences to the family of Charlie Kirk.

Sept. 4 (UPI) — Several leaders from the tech sector will travel to the White House on Thursday for the fist event in the newly renovated Rose Garden.

Guests expected to attend include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI founder Sam Altman, among more than two dozen other prominent tech and business guests.

Venture capitalist David Sacks, who has served as the White House czar on AI and cryptocurrency, will also be in attendance.

According to a press release, First Lady Melania Trump will host a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education, at which she will speak, alongside Task Force members and leaders from the private AI technology sphere.

President Donald Trump will then lead an event in the Rose Garden with the guests, which will be the first such happening there since it was renovated under the direction of the Trumps.

“The Rose Garden Club at the White House is the hottest place to be in Washington, or perhaps the world,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement to The Hill.

“The president looks forward to welcoming top business, political, and tech leaders for this dinner and the many dinners to come on the new, beautiful Rose Garden patio,” he added.

Those in attendance will see changes to the Rose Garden such as pavement over the former grassy space, with umbrella-shaded tables set in similar fashion to patio arrangements found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.

One top tech leader not on the guest list is Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who served as an advisor to Trump and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Trump and Musk famously feuded shortly after Musk left working with the government.

THIS is the hilarious moment Donald Trump’s golf caddy appears to drop his ball into a prime spot before he takes his shot.

A video clip has emerged which shows two golf caddies alongside the US President as he drives a golf cart around Turnberry’s Ailsa course, in Scotland.

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He donned a white USA baseball cap and was joined by his son Eric.

Trump, 79, is seen being escorted down to the course, with a convoy of 20 other carts following close behind.

The caddies go ahead of the US leaser and one appears to try and secretly place a golf ball on the ground.

The President then gets out and claims to have made the shot himself.

Trump waves for cameras on the third green at the southeast end of the course before the party moves on.

One person who watched the footage circulating on X wrote: “Caddy did that so smoothly. Can only imagine how many times he’s done it.”

“I want to know how he finds caddies to do that for him,” added another.

This comes as the US President arrived aboard Air Force One at around 8.30pm on Friday for his five-day private visit to Bonnie Scotland.

After waving to the crowds, he was welcomed by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray before being whisked to his luxury Turnberry resort 20 miles down the Ayrshire coast.

Villagers waved as the convoy passed through nearby Kirkoswald and later arrived at the resort at around 9.30pm.

And he wasted no time in taking to the green after being seen teeing off at the luxury resort.

Several protests were planned, with opponents of Mr Trump gathering in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen earlier this week.

The Stop Trump coalition has planned what it has described as being a “festival of resistance”.

Activists also shut down the Forth Road Bridge in South Queensferry as part of a huge protest ahead of Trump’s visit.

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Climate campaigners from Greenpeace confirmed that 10 activists abseiled from the massive 156m bridge to block an INEOS tanker.

A large number of police and military personnel were seen searching the grounds at the golf resort to ensure Mr Trump’s safety before he teed off.

A high-profile security operation was in full swing with land, sea and air coverage from police and security services while a number of guests were checked over.

Secret service agents with sniffer dogs checked bushes as snipers were positioned on a platform on the edge of the course and the roof of the hotel.

Uniformed and plain clothes cops guarded all access points to the course, including roads, footpaths and the beach.

Amid the search, a few golfers were also spotted at the course, enjoying an early-morning game.

A number of onlookers had gathered at the entrance to Turnberry hoping to catch a glimpse of the game.

But they were not let anywhere near.

Police also had road closures in place, with limited access for locals and members of the media.

Upon his arrival, Mr Trump told reporters: “There’s no place like Turnberry. It’s the best course in the world.”

As well as visiting Trump Turnberry, Mr Trump will later head to Aberdeenshire and visit his golf resort in Balmedie.

During his stay, he will officially open his second course at Menie, named in honour of his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.

His visit is expected to last until Tuesday, July 29.

The President is also scheduled to meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip.

After landing in Scotland, Mr Trump said the “invasion” of migrants is “killing” Europe and told the leaders to “get their act together”.

But when asked about illegal immigration, Mr Trump said a “horrible invasion” was taking place in Europe which needs to stop.

He said: “On immigration, you better get your act together.

“You’re not going to have Europe anymore, you’ve got to get your act together.

“As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country – nobody, [we] shut it down.”

He added: “You’ve got to stop this horrible invasion that’s happening to Europe.”

Mr Trump, who made a crackdown on illegal immigration a major policy in his second term at the White House, boasted: “Last month we had nobody entering our country.”

A massive £5million security operation has been rolled out to ensure his safety, with around 6,000 police officers drafted in from across the UK to support the efforts.

We previously told how police and security services assessed fears that Trump could be assassinated during his visit to Scotland after he survived an attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania last year.

David Threadgold, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said “a huge amount of threat assessment and intelligence gathering” took place ahead of the visit.

July 14 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump‘s state visit to Britain will take place Sept. 17 through Sept. 19 at Windsor Castle where King Charles III will host him and First Lady Melania Trump, Buckingham Palace announced Monday.

Buckingham Palace said Trump had formerly accepted the invitation, six years on from his first state visit when he was the guest of the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2019. The visit is unprecedented because Trump will become the first U.S. president to receive the honor twice — second-term presidents traditionally receive a tea or lunch invitation.

Itinerary details remain pending but will comprise a packed schedule of events — including a full ceremonial welcome and a state banquet in the castle’s Saint George’s Hall — with all senior members of the royal family involved, including Prince William and Kate, said the palace.

Trump and the first lady will spend two nights at Windsor Castle. The location was moved from the customary Buckingham Palace due to renovations that are underway at the king’s official residence.

Trump, who has hereditary roots in Scotland, is known to be a fan of Britain, and in particular the royal family and all the associated pomp and grand ceremonies.

British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson said Trump could expect a warm welcome.

“He should expect a warm reception because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it,” said Mandelson.

“He trusts [British Prime Minister] Keir Starmer. It’s not a question of expressing our gratitude. My lodestar here is to demonstrate respect, not sycophancy. I don’t think the administration has any problem with that.”

However, the timing sidesteps the issue of the traditional address given to parliament by visiting heads of state, as Trump will arrive a day after the legislature rises for the month-long ‘conference” recess, when political parties hold their annual conventions.

A group of 20 MPs signed a motion back in April calling on the speakers of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords not to allow Trump to officially address either chamber, saying his “misogynism, racism and xenophobia, comments on women, refugees and torture” made it inappropriate.

The motion noted “several concerns on his comments about the U.K., parliamentary democracy, the Middle East and equalities; expresses concern about his conduct around Ukraine; believes it would be inappropriate for President Trump to address Parliament.”

Of the lawmakers who backed the motion, 15 belong to Starmer’s ruling Labour Party.

The stance of parliamentarians contrasts with the optics surrounding French President Emmanuel Macron‘s state visit last week, during which he addressed a packed joint session of parliament and laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey.

The king initially extended the royal invite to Trump in February in a letter that Starmer brought with him on a visit to Washington to meet with Trump in the White House, which the president accepted on the spot.

During his last visit in 2019, mass street protests forced the cancellation of a procession down the mall leading to Buckingham Palace for security reasons and he traveled between events by helicopter, instead of by road.

He also became embroiled in a social media spat with the mayor of London and appeared to breach royal protocol by walking ahead of the queen.

1 of 6 | Marine One carrying U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump lifts off from the South Lawn of the White House on Friday in Washington, D.C. The president and his wife are heading to Kerrville, Texas, to meet with local officials and first responders after a deadly flash flood a week ago killed at least 120 people with at least 160 people still missing. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo

July 11 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Friday toured areas devastated by flash flooding in central Texas that has killed more than 100, including at least 36 children, on the Fourth of July.

The president and first lady arrived in Kerr County, Texas, shortly after 12:20 p.m. CDT to meet with people and families in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet and killed at least 121, including several children who had been staying at a Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic.

“This is a tough one,” Trump said during a roundtable discussion in Kerrville, Texas. “We were just making a little tour of the area. It’s hard to believe the devastation.”

He called the Guadalupe a “little narrow river that becomes a monster” when torrential rains pummeled the area during the early morning hours on Independence Day.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “We just gave our warmest condolences, but how do you give condolences?”

The president praised the first responders and community members who risked their lives to save others during the tragedy.

The first lady also met with victims’ families and offered her “deepest sympathy to all of the parents who lost beautiful young souls.”

“We are grieving with you,” Melania Trump said. “Our nation is grieving with you.”

The president and first lady were joined by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both of Texas, during Friday’s visit.

Trump approved a major disaster declaration for Texas earlier this week. He told NBC’s Meet the Press on Thursday that the flood was a “once-in-every-200-year” event and said he supported the installation of a dedicated alarm system to warn of future floods.

“After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you’d put alarms up in some form,” he said.

According to Abbott, search and rescue operations still continue with some sources saying more than 170 people are still missing, including many children.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that “We remain laser focused in our work with Governor Abbott and local Texas leaders to support those impacted by the tragic flooding.”

May 26 (UPI) — President Donald Trump will mark his first Memorial Day as commander-in-chief in his second term with ceremonies in Arlington National Cemetery.

“I will be making a Memorial Day Speech today at Arlington National Cemetery,” the president announced Monday morning on his social media platform, adding to “enjoy!!!”

Trump, who will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony per tradition at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, says the speech at the nation’s cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington in Virginia will be at 11 a.m. EDT.

“Happy Memorial Day to all, including the scum that spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds,” Trump wrote in all caps in part in an earlier post Monday morning.

In a separate statement, the White House said on “this solemn day” as the country honors the sacrifice of its fallen soldiers, Trump and first lady Melania Trump “ask all citizens to join us in prayer that Almighty God may comfort those who mourn, grant protection to all who serve, and bring blessed peace to the world.”

America’s first observance of Memorial Day on May 30, 1890, previously known as Decoration Day, was proclaimed by Union Commander John A. Logan to honor fallen soldiers who died fighting to preserve the Union during the Civil War.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the government estimates more than 650,000 Americans have died in battle since the Revolutionary War began in 1775.

On Monday, the VA will partner with nonprofits to honor veterans interred in national cemeteries where more than 5.4 million people are buried.

VA officials announced Thursday that through partnerships with Carry The Load, the Travis Manion Foundation and Victory for Veterans, at least 70,000 volunteers visit 54 national veterans cemeteries on Memorial Day.

It arrives on top of Trump’s revelation earlier this month that he plans to name November 11 — which is Veterans Day — a “national holiday” to celebrate past world war victories.

May 16 (UPI) — A bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump was stolen from its perch in a city in her home country of Slovenia, five years after it replaced a wooden sculpture damaged by arson.

Police confirmed Friday they are now investigating after the bronze statue went missing earlier in the week from the Slovenian village of Rozno.

“[Police] conducted an inspection of the crime scene and collected information. The investigating judge and the district state prosecutor were informed about the theft,” Slovenian National Police Force spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said in a statement Friday.

The Slovenian newspaper Delo reported the statue was “sawed off” at the bottom.

Officials unveiled the bronze figure of the first lady in 2020 to replace a wooden statue that was damaged after being lit on fire on July 4 of that year.

The statue site is near the first lady’s hometown of Sevnica in central Slovenia.

Artist Brad Downey constructed the bronze version, based on the original wooden statue crafted by conceptual artist Ales Zupevc, aka Maxi.

The damaged wood statue was quickly removed to a museum in Slovenia.

Bronze was chosen for the replacement to ensure it was fireproof.