Trump reportedly considers putting his name on Ford’s Theatre; White House denies

Trump Reportedly Eyes Ford's Theatre for Name Placement

Publication Date: 2026-09-24

President Trump is reportedly seeking to affix his name to Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.—the site where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

According to MS NOW, the theatre is one of several establishments floated by aides as potential targets for the "Trump" name. The proposal reflects the president's well-documented narcissism and susceptibility to flattery.

"Why would I say no? Everybody's trying to please me," one former administration official said of Trump's worldview. No official decision has been made on renaming Ford's Theatre, and it remains unclear what other buildings have been considered.

This follows Trump's previous failed naming attempts, most notably his effort to rename the Kennedy Center the "Trump-Kennedy" Center, which was legally rejected. He subsequently tried to place "renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump" on the historic venue, a move also struck down in court, leading him to shut down the center indefinitely for "renovations." Now, aides seeking to appease him are searching for other buildings he can claim.

Ford's Theatre would be a particularly contentious choice, given its history as the site of a brutal presidential assassination—and one involving a president far more widely beloved than Trump. The White House has denied MS NOW's reporting, calling it "completely false."

Editor's Pick: Trump Throws "F—king Crazy" Tantrum at Kennedy Center Meeting

DOJ Defends Trump's Press Ban with Weak Evidence

President Donald Trump claimed that media outlets he banned from the White House threatened national security—without providing evidence to support the assertion.

In a court filing Tuesday, the Department of Justice defended Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. However, a closer examination of the supporting evidence reveals a weak basis for the argument, Politico reported.

"The President determined that Plaintiffs have failed to maintain minimum professional journalistic standards by publishing classified and national security information," Trump's brief states.

The DOJ attached letters addressed to each outlet citing the stories that prompted their removals. The letters, which were unsigned and did not appear on official letterhead, did not claim that the cited stories contained classified information—some had no connection to national security at all.

For example, the letter addressed to Politico complained about a report describing the "bad vibes" at the Republican midterm convention in Texas. The DOJ also cited a Politico article about security improvements to Trump's ballroom, but the supposedly "intricate" and "internal" document was actually a handout given to Senate Republicans.

Other reports cited by the DOJ—such as those about depleted U.S. munition stockpiles and the FBI investigating leaks to a reporter that led to an unflattering article about Kash Patel—have been repeatedly refuted by the Trump administration.

The letters, purportedly sent Tuesday before filing, grant each outlet an opportunity to contest their removal by end of day Friday. The three outlets go to court Wednesday to ask a judge to overturn the ban.

Read more about the ban: Why Trump's White House Reporter Ban Matters So Little

Trump Clashed with Architect Over Ballroom Safety Codes

President Trump refused to adhere to building safety codes for his White House ballroom and fought with its original architect until he resigned.

The Washington Post reports, citing anonymous sources, that James McCrery II withdrew from the project in October after repeatedly warning that Trump's ballroom design lacked adequate emergency exit routes and fire containment measures. The president reportedly dismissed McCrery's concerns, stating that building codes did not apply to anything built at the White House.

"I am the code," Trump said.

Trump has directed much of his time and attention to the ballroom. The Post obtained documents, including early ballroom designs bearing black Sharpie markings in the president's handwriting. The reporting indicates that Trump is bypassing or overruling federal agencies that typically handle White House construction and renovations—agencies legally required to follow national building safety standards to the "maximum extent feasible" except for national security reasons.

Trump's White House construction projects are being routed through the Executive Residence, which is not a federal agency and is not subject to its rules. Buildings on federal property fall outside District of Columbia jurisdiction, meaning they are not subject to local building codes. Responsibility falls on contractors hired to design and build them, and Trump has them working almost around the clock to meet his deadlines.

After McCrery resigned, the White House continued discussing safety concerns about the ballroom's design for months, according to the Post. It is unclear whether more recent designs from the architecture firm that took over—Shalom Baranes Associates—addressed those concerns.

Trump has been wholly focused on the expensive ballroom, going back on promises that it would be financed entirely by private donations and invoking national security justifications that have been debunked.

Editor's Pick: Zelenskiy Tries Not to Roll His Eyes as Trump Rants About Ballroom

RFK Jr. Diverted $12 Million from Minority Health Office for Personal Security

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. redirected millions of dollars from the Office of Minority Health to fund his personal security, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Kennedy moved $12 million from the office, which was created by Republican President Ronald Reagan to address higher Black infant mortality rates. HHS informed Congress earlier this year that it would use the funds to cover RFK Jr.'s security costs, which grew from $10 million in 2025 to $17 million in 2026, according to the Journal's sources.

In response, HHS spokeswoman Emily Hilliard said the cuts "reflect HHS priorities and programmatic assessments—not the Secretary's security needs."

"Secretary Kennedy faces a security environment that differs significantly from that of previous HHS secretaries," Hilliard added. "His protection reflects the threats he faces, his extensive travel, and the security required for him to safely carry out his duties nationwide."

Upon taking office, Kennedy Jr. requested protection from the U.S. Marshals Service rather than the security provided by the Office of the Inspector General. He stopped speaking at outdoor events after a man wearing a bike helmet rushed at him last year.

Editor's Pick: Measles Scare Hits Children's Hospital as RFK Jr. Does Nothing

Miller Blames Thune for Expected Midterm Losses, Pushes SAVE Act

Donald Trump told Republicans to vote as if he were on the November ballot. But White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is distancing the administration from potential losses as the party heads toward a likely brutal midterm upset.

"If the Republicans lose the midterms it'll be because [Senate Majority Leader] John Thune didn't get the SAVE America Act passed," Miller wrote on X Tuesday, adding that the predicted loss "rests solely on John Thune's shoulders."

The SAVE America Act proposed numerous amendments to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, including a requirement that voters bring either a passport or birth certificate to register. Critics argued the mandate would unduly restrict millions of Americans from voting, noting that half of the country's population lacks a passport and that the legislation would make it difficult for anyone who changed their name—including married women—to register.

The White House heralded the voter restriction bill as critical to election integrity. Trump predicated his support for other legislative efforts on the SAVE Act's passage, insisting it should be Congress's top priority.

The initiative stalled over the summer when, after many failed efforts to pass the bill independently, House Republicans tied it to the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. That has stalled the typically uncontroversial defense bill in the upper chamber.

The SAVE America Act is now one of 650 bills awaiting Senate action.

Meanwhile, Republicans expect significant midterm losses. Attention has shifted toward Alaska and Ohio—historically reliable red states—and away from purple regions such as North Carolina, which Politico reported Tuesday has been perceived as a "money sink" for Democrats.

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