President Trump toured the construction site for the White House ballroom on Tuesday and spoke briefly with reporters, defending the work underway and answering questions about national security. While walking through the project, Mr. Trump said he had been “close” to ordering renewed strikes on Iran — a comment he made before announcing that talks with Tehran had shown some progress.
He criticized critics of the renovation and described the ballroom as an important addition to the building, then shifted to foreign policy, saying that options to strike had been prepared and could have been used. Trump framed his remarks as part of efforts to pressure Iran while also pointing to diplomatic movement that reduced the need for immediate military action.
Reporters pressed for details about what had changed in the talks and what steps had been taken to halt or resume military operations, but the president’s comments were brief and general.