In-town pool report #14 - proclamation

The president started speaking at 3:51.

Today is the 4 year anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing.

“We’re four years into this nightmare”

“There are some great souls who are looking down on you right now”

Trump signed the proclamation at 3:56. “Thank you, sir,” said one woman, when he held up the signed proclamation.

Trump took questions at 3:57. Topics:

1. whether he’s satisfied with the speed of the investigation into the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The president asked Hegseth to answer.

“These families deserve answers. … I would anticipate middle of 2026”

Trump began speaking again: “we’re going to talk for a little while” about the people who died that day

He invited VA Sec Doug Collins to speak at 3:59.

The president asked Vance to speak at 4pm.

“I know days like these can’t make the hurt go away” but says “we’re proud of your loved ones” and “this is the rectification of a wrong”

Vance hugged the woman next to him after he finished speaking.

Another question on whether he’s considering a streamlined service for care for veterans:

Trump: “nobody loves our vets more than me”

Collins: “we’re making sure that what was bogged up in a bureaucratic system we’re streamlining”

Trump started speaking again at 4:03.

“We’re just going to do it,” he said in response to a question about renaming the Department of Defense without an act of Congress. “Defense is too defensive”

On talks with President Lee:

“I think we have a deal done … they’re going to make the deal that we agreed to make”

It looks like there’s a purple bruise visible on the back of the president’s right hand.

More to come

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Sophie Hills, staff writer

The Christian Science Monitor

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