Trump DOJ on the hook for 'very serious ramifications' in Florida court: legal expert

Leon ruled in April that Trump lacked the legal authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval. The Justice Department has pressed him to lift the injunction, invoking national security — an argument Trump amplified Saturday with the AI imagery and a separate post showing military helicopters flying in formation, presumably over Washington.

In a separate post, Trump shared an AI-generated collage depicting Rosie O'Donnell daydreaming about him in various domestic settings — doing dishes, reading, driving — with his image appearing in thought bubbles above her head. The caption read: "She (?) is OBSESSED!" The question mark placed after "She" was a transphobic reference to O'Donnell, who has been a Trump antagonist for decades.

Trump also posted a black-and-white photo of himself leaning over a desk with the quote: "Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end — It always does!" — an apparent attempt at reassurance directed at his base amid ongoing legal battles and the Iran war.

Finally, Trump posted an AI image of what appeared to be a massive garbage can topped with a black trash bag, surrounded by a tent encampment, with a Chicago skyline in the background. The caption: "The Barack Hussein Obama Library, in 10 years, when fully matured!" — using Obama's middle name in the manner Trump has long deployed as a dog whistle.

Cotton and Grassley blamed the "lapse" on Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate minority leader, for walking away from an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to the letter.

Andrew Desiderio, the senior congressional reporter for Punchbowl News, noted in a post on X that Senate Democrats blocked the FISA extension in response to the appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

Cotton, the chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, added that "given the gravity of the situation, our two committees remain ready to assist."

The deadline for a FISA extension is next Friday, Desiderio noted.

Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) — a Utah Republican congresswoman — stopped short of criticizing Hegseth directly but made clear where she stood on the underlying question. "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are Christians," she wrote on X. "We worship Jesus Christ, strive to follow His teachings, and His name is even in the name of our Church. Just last year, President Trump himself recognized Latter-day Saints as Christians." She said she looked forward to "conversations that will ensure all service members receive the religious support and First Amendment protections they deserve."

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), whose handle is @BasedMikeLee, kept it simple: "Can anyone tell me why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was left out of the list of Christian churches?"

The answer, based on the list published by Hegseth's office, is that the Pentagon placed LDS in its own standalone category — "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (CJ)" — separate from the two dozen denominations listed under the "Christian" umbrella.

Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a prominent conservative commentator, said Hegseth shot himself in the foot: "Failing to characterize Mormons as Christians is a huge own goal by Hegseth."

The backlash wasn't limited to the right. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) — an Arizona Democrat whose state has a significant LDS population — replied directly to Lee: "I don't know why but I am with you. This needs to be fixed ASAP."

Not everyone was displeased. Milo Yiannopoulos, the far-right provocateur who goes by @Nero on X, used the moment to attack the LDS church itself. "It's not a religion. It's certainly not Christian," he wrote. "LDS is referred to by academics as a 'new religious movement,' polite sociological jargon for cult." RedState writer Bonchie offered a more succinct assessment of the situation: "Hoo boy."

The classification overhaul was announced by Sean Parnell, Hegseth's assistant for public affairs, who framed the reduction from more than 200 categories to 31 as a streamlining effort to help "religious support personnel" provide "spiritual care to our warfighters." Whether it accomplishes that — or simply hands Hegseth's critics a gift — is now a matter of bipartisan consensus.