President Donald Trump held a press conference to update the public about the Iran war. He made a post on X (formerly Twitter) to advise that he would be taking questions at the event. During the media briefing, Trump spent around an hour speaking of the new ballroom he is building to replace the demolished East Wing. He also spent time speaking of the Trump Kennedy Center and about replacing the gold columns there.
As noted by the Times Leader, events in the Middle East have rocked the global economy and left 13 US service members dead and many critically injured. Meanwhile, in the region, several thousand people have been killed.
Trump as Americans die in war with Iran:
“If you look behind me, see the nice gold curtains? If you want to look into a nice foundation and you want to see a lot of work, very deep, very, very deep for specific reasons, we have. A magnificent ballroom being built because this is… pic.twitter.com/f3fFlkU7UD
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) March 16, 2026
After briefing opening remarks on the war in Iran, the president waved a hand and said to those present, “You see the nice gold curtains?”
Trump, 79, was referencing the gold curtains at a window in the East Room of the White House, that currently overlooks the construction site for his $400 million upcoming ballroom. “We have a magnificent ballroom being built. This whole floor will end up being a cocktail room for the ballroom before dinners,” Trump said.
.@POTUS: “We got rid of the gold columns, which looked always terrible. They looked cheap and they looked fake — very much like the media, actually.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/F4syFOcn3Z
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2026
While reporters waited for news on the Iran conflict, Trump spoke for around 40 minutes about his plans to decorate some of the most prized real estate in Washington. Not just the ballroom, but also the Kennedy Center, to which he has added his name. The center will be closed for two years from July 4, 2026, to undergo renovations.
“It was painted a cheap gold and we turned into a very expensively painted white, very heavy coat of very powerful white paint,” Trump said of the renovations. “We got rid of the gold columns, which looked always terrible. They look cheap and they look fake – very much like the media,” he said.
Trump also shared a health update on White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles. He had earlier announced on social media that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Before question time, Trump slammed several world leaders for their apparent reluctance to help secure the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks. Speaking of President Emmanuel Macron, he said, “Not perfect – but it’s France. The president then spoke of the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asking, “Why do you have to meet with your team to find out whether or not you send some mine sweepers?”
Meanwhile, a reporter asked about his reaction to an Israeli ground assault against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. “I was, the other night, with a person whose parents live in Lebanon,” Trump replied. “I said, ‘Really? How do you live in Lebanon?’ But they explained to me that it’s really a different section of Lebanon. It’s a section where Hezbollah is, and they get used to it, I guess.”
