Donald Trump remained his grandiose, self-absorbed self when questioned about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s death. The controversial Trump supporter and activist was speaking about gun violence at an event in Utah when he was fatally shot in the neck on Sept. 10.
The president was asked on Sept. 12 how he was holding up following the news about Kirk’s death. But his tone-deaf response was met with fury, and his niece Mary Trump unleashed on him, per Newsweek.
Trump, who was on the South Lawn of the White House preparing to board Marine One when asked by one of the gathered reporters how he was holding up, gave a brief “I think very good” response before launching into a digression about his recent renovations at the White House.
“And by the way, right there you see all the trucks,” he continued. “They just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they’ve been trying to get, as you know, for about 150 years. And it’s going to be a beauty. It’ll be an absolutely magnificent structure.”
After sharing a few more words with the press about the new renovations, Trump simply walked off, yet reporters still had more questions.
Since his inauguration in Jan. 2025, Trump has added a gigantic, gaudy gold mirror to the Oval Office, which is in line with the decor in his New York penthouse. The commander-in-chief also paved over the White House Rose Garden lawn to resemble his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago. Trump was boasting Friday about the biggest change he has planned, the 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition to the East Wing of the White House.
But for many, his sudden shift from tragedy to something trivial felt insulting, fueling online outrage that even his family joined in on. “This is quite the display of grief,” Mary Trump wrote on X.
Video of Trump’s response was shared by The Neighboorhood Talk with the caption, “Trump being Trump again y’all,” and most fans agreed.
“Bro really said ‘Rest in peace, Charlie,'” wrote one. “Anyway, the granite countertops.”
“If ‘Well, anyway’ was a person lol,” added another. One user responded, “Where’s the empathy?”
“He moved right the tf on,” joked another. “Basically, he cares more about his ballroom than Charlie Kirk,” added one X user.
This is quite the display of grief:
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) September 12, 2025
Reporter: My condolences on the loss of your friend Charlie Kirk. How are you holding up?
Donald: I think very good. . . . They started construction on the new ballroom . . . it's going to be a beauty. It'll be absolutely magnificent.
Trump’s pivot from tragedy to self-promotion didn’t just spark outrage — it also gives California Governor Gavin Newsom the perfect opening to troll him over those very same White House renovations.
Newsom has been trolling Trump for months, and after House Speaker Mike Johnson shared a picture of the president and others having dinner at the grand opening of the Rose Garden on Sept. 5, he ripped into Trump’s policies on X.
Newsom didn’t stop there, jokingly taking aim at Trump’s wildest plan yet: a UFC-style cage match on the South Lawn next Fourth of July to mark America’s 250th anniversary. The governor mocked the spectacle, questioning if the renovations included a special octagon just for the president.
