What we covered here
• Department of War: President Donald Trump signed an executive order beginning a rebrand of the Pentagon as the “Department of War,” calling it a more “appropriate” name given the state of the world.
• Venezuela tension: The president warned that Venezuelan military aircraft would be shot down if they put Americans in a “dangerous position,” as tensions rise over his use of the military to combat cartels in the region. Sources tell CNN that Trump is weighing potential strikes against cartels, including inside Venezuela.
• SEAL mission report: Speaking to the media in the Oval Office, Trump claimed he knows nothing about an unsuccessful 2019 Navy SEAL mission that left unarmed North Koreans dead, which The New York Times reported about today.
Our live coverage of Trump’s presidency has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates or read through the posts below.
Trump hosts members of Congress for first event in newly renovated Rose Garden
President Donald Trump hosted approximately 100 members of Congress tonight for the first event in the newly renovated Rose Garden.
He told the group they were “special” and that it was “an honor” to have them there.
The president added that while the renovations took place, which included stripping the famed garden of its grass and paving it with stone, that the construction team “never touched a rose.”
After the president’s remarks, he sat down for dinner with GOP Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas. The White House said House Speaker Mike Johnson was going to join that table as well.
On the menu for the Rose Garden’s inaugural dinner, per pool reporters, was a “Rose Garden salad,” roasted potatoes, steak or chicken, and seven-layer cake.
Maryland to use state law enforcement to support Baltimore amid Trump National Guard threats
Maryland is using state law enforcement resources to support Baltimore crime-fighting efforts as President Donald Trump threatens to deploy the National Guard in the city.
Maryland State Police and Maryland Transportation Authority Police are among the agencies who will help “target crime and better protect communities” in the initiative announced by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, the governor’s office said in a news release.
The partnership comes after “the previous administration’s termination of similar coordination efforts,” the news release said.
Moore said the collaboration was done in the spirit of continuing a 50-year trend in decreased crime, not because of the president: “Nothing we are doing is inspired by the president. The president does not inspire us.”
