Overview
- Trump said he was "extremely angry" after an unidentified TV commentator called him the third-best president behind George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
- He told GOP senators he would try to surpass Washington and Lincoln, pointing to a self-styled Walk of Fame and presidential portraits on the White House grounds.
- He claimed credit for having "ended eight wars" and warned "the ninth is coming," a statement that fact-checkers say misrepresents ongoing conflicts and disputes over what constitutes a war.
- The remarks were delivered in the Rose Garden during an event billed to mark demolition of the East Wing to make room for a proposed $200 million White House ballroom.
- Contemporary surveys by historians and political scientists place Washington and Lincoln at the top of presidential rankings and rank Trump near or at the bottom.