Trump announcement live updates: Trump to make Oval Office appearance amid speculation about health

While we wait for President Donald Trump’s Oval Office announcement to begin, here’s Eric Garcia with a rundown on what happens next with the Epstein Files:

President Donald Trump is poised to announce the relocation of the U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, a move that directly reverses a decision made by the Biden administration. The impending declaration has been confirmed by sources familiar with the announcement, including a U.S. official and individuals close to the deliberations, as reported by the Associated Press and Reuters.

A Pentagon website, set up to livestream the president’s remarks, has already signalled the nature of the announcement, describing the event as a “U.S. Space Command HQ Announcement.”

This decision would overturn a 2023 directive under President Joe Biden, which had designated Colorado Springs as the permanent home for the military’s newest combatant command.

The functions of Space Command are vital, encompassing critical operations such as enabling satellite-based navigation, facilitating troop communication, and providing crucial warnings of missile launches. The relocation carries significant economic implications for the local economies, as Alabama and Colorado have long fiercely battled to host the command.

Critics suggest the switch appears designed to favor Alabama, a reliably Republican state, over Colorado, which has increasingly voted Democratic in recent elections, potentially sparking controversy.

Space Command currently operates from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs on an interim basis. Notably, the Air Force had, in 2021, identified Army Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, as its preferred location for the command.

Huntsville, a major hub for defence contractors like L3Harris and Lockheed Martin, and home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, has long lobbied for the Space Command headquarters.

“NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE,” the president wrote on Sunday night, linking back to a Truth Social post from another user making disparaging comments about former president Joe Biden’s health. The user added that the “media freaks out if Trump disappears for 24 hours.”

Sitting at the Resolute Desk, Trump appeared to be covering up the back of his right hand by placing his left hand on top of it while speaking with reporters. This past weekend, Trump was seen with a patch of makeup over his hand, seemingly covering a recurring bruise.

But at various points in the press conference on Monday, reporters could see a flash of the extensive bruise across the back of his hand.

Trump has been noticeably out of the spotlight after hosting a nearly 200-minute marathon Cabinet meeting last Tuesday. Despite reportedly indulging in a long Labor Day golfing weekend, the president made no media appearances in the past week.

After several days out of the public eye, “Where is Donald Trump?” and “Is Trump dead?” ranked among Google’s top U.S. searches, while “TRUMPISDEAD” trended on X Saturday.

Others also cited Vice President JD Vance’s interview on Wednesday with USA Today, in which he said he’s ready to assume the presidency if a “terrible tragedy” occurred. However, in that same interview, Vance stressed that Trump is in “incredibly good health.”

Trump was finally photographed with his granddaughter, Kai, on Saturday, en route to his golf course in Virginia.

Could one of President Donald Trump’s two eldest sons be considering how to turn their father’s Make America Great Again machine into a new American political dynasty?

One of them isn’t dismissing the idea out of hand, as Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump, who has amassed an increasing collection of self-portraits, teased the new painting on Monday after unveiling plans for a “Presidential Wall of Fame” during an interview with conservative news outlet the Daily Caller. However, when it comes to a piece about his immediate predecessor, it is not clear how serious Trump is being.

James Liddell has the story.

Beyond the United States, Trump’s brazen approach [to tariffs] has already stoked anti-American consumer sentiment, notably in Canada and India, where shoppers have expressed their disapproval of his trade policies, rhetoric or conduct in office more generally, by boycotting U.S.-made goods in favor of local brands.

Here are some of the brands that have already expressed their disquiet about the state of play:

The letter condemns elected officials for engaging in “rhetoric or actions that erode the Federal Reserve’s independence,” and specifically cites Trump’s recent unproven claims about Cook.

Ariana Baio has the latest.