Trump says US was ‘very nearly’ under threat from Iran
President Donald Trump said the U.S. was “very nearly” under threat from Iran.
A day after the United States and Israel struck Iran, President Donald Trump returned to the White House from Florida on Sunday, March 1, to find newly installed statues in the Rose Garden.
The statues depict two of the country’s founding fathers: Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Reuters photos show a statue of George Washington had already appeared in the Rose Garden in October.
The White House said the statues are on loan “from generous private American patriots.”
Trump continued monitoring the war from Florida until returning to the White House on March 1. As he arrived, reporters shouted questions about Iran, but instead of responding, the president paused to look at the newly installed Rose Garden statues, admiring them briefly before heading inside, Reuters reported.
The moment came amid lingering criticism over changes the president made to the Rose Garden last year, renovations that drew backlash from some preservationists and historians.
US attacks Iran
The president spent the weekend in Mar-a-Lago, where he oversaw the U.S. and Israel attack against Iran, which began on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Pentagon’s top general described the attack as “massive, overwhelming” when speaking to reporters, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
The strike involved thousands of American service members, hundreds of planes and two aircraft carriers, hitting more than a thousand targets across Iran. The Middle Eastern country quickly launched counterstrikes, rocking the broader region.
White House renovations
In August, the White House paved over much of the Rose Garden as part of broader renovations. A grass panel installed in 1962 at the request of President John F Kennedy, according to the National Park Service, was replaced with stone tile.
Following the overhaul, the president said he’d heard “great reviews” about the changes, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
See photos of the statues below
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
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