Overview

• The Navy’s 250th anniversary event went forward in Norfolk with President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Navy Secretary John Phelan in attendance.
• Trump toured the USS George H. W. Bush, spoke with sailors, awarded medals, and watched live demonstrations that included missile launches, SEAL insertions, and fighter takeoffs.
• The president posted that “the show must go on” and blamed Democrats for allowing the shutdown and trying to undermine the celebration.
• The shutdown has furloughed thousands of federal workers, delayed infrastructure and energy projects in cities like New York and Chicago, and left service members on duty without pay.
• The visit capped a week of Pentagon shifts and rhetoric, with Hegseth declaring an end to “woke” culture and outlining new fitness standards, as AP also reports expanded military roles that include actions against drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.