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First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the "stories are completely false" and calling accusations that she was somehow involved "smears about me". Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and her attorneys were fighting back against "unfound and baseless lies" in regards to her connections to the late financier, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," she said. "The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation." The seemingly out-of-the-blue message came as her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a ye
US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom won final approval from a key agency on Thursday, despite a federal judge recently ordering a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years. The 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region, went ahead with the vote because US District Judge Richard Leon's ruling - which came two days earlier - affects construction activities but not the planning process, said the commission's Trump-appointed chair, Will Scharf. A vote of 8-1, with two commissioners voting present and one absent, allowed the plan to move forward. Despite the agency's approval, however, the judge's ruling and a legal fight over the ballroom could stall progress on a legacy project that Trump is racing to see completed before the end of his term in early 2029. It's among a series of changes
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a USD 400 million ballroom it demolished the East Wing of the White House to make space for, barring work from proceeding without congressional approval. US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group's request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project. The White House quickly filed a notice to appeal while Trump fumed at the ruling. "We built many things at the White House over the years. They don't get congressional approval," he told reporters in the Oval Office a short time later. He also noted that the ruling will allow work on underground bunkers and other security measures around the White House grounds to continue - even though those will be paid for by taxpayers, not the private donors and Trump himself that the president has promised will cover the cost of the ballroom. Leon, who was nominat
A federal panel reviewing President Donald Trump's plans to build a ballroom at the White House got an earful Thursday from members of the public. Most speakers said they opposed the project and criticised it as too big and unnecessary. Only one of the 28 people who addressed the National Capital Planning Commission during the first two hours of public comment at its March meeting spoke in favour of the project. "It's ugly. It's just ugly. It's too much," said Kye Rowan, who described herself as an "ordinary citizen" with no architectural background. Other speakers asked the commission to properly deliberate before making a decision. "I urge you to send this back to the drawing board," said Diane Marlin, who recently retired as mayor of Urbana, Illinois. "Take the time to get this right." Concerns were also raised about Trump's plan to pay the estimated USD 400 million construction cost with money donated by wealthy people and corporations, many of whom have business before the ..
President Donald Trump says he'll attend this year's White House Correspondent Association dinner on April 25, marking the first time he's done so as commander-in-chief. "The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year's Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge," Trump posted on his social media site on Monday evening. He noted that the latest installment comes amid celebrations marking America's 250th birthday, adding that it "will be my Honour to accept their invitation." Trump was invited annually, but never attended the dinner during his first term and also skipped last year's gathering. The event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but President Joe Biden attended each of the dinners during his term's final three years. Every president since Coolidge had attended except Trump - until now. In his post Trump wrote that, "Because the Press was
A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group's request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a USD 400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House. US District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's project. Leon said the group has a better chance of success if it amended its lawsuit. "Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President's constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn't bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds," he wrote. The privately funded group sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins ...