Overview

• President Trump declared “Liberation Day in D.C.” and unveiled plans to deploy the National Guard and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal authority to combat violent crime.
• Karoline Leavitt confirmed it was the most crowded briefing on record, prompting a reporter to ask if the White House could build a “big, beautiful briefing room” alongside its new East Wing ballroom.
• Trump quipped that the jammed room likely violated fire codes and dismissed the proposal, saying, “I don’t want you to be comfortable.”
• Construction is moving forward on a 90,000-square-foot East Wing ballroom funded by private donors, with a September groundbreaking set despite preservationists’ concerns over Rose Garden paving.
• The theatrical briefing underscored tensions over press access, administration messaging and efforts to physically reshape the White House grounds.