Donald Trump has described the White House as "s—" during a speech outside the presidential residence today.

The president complained about the iconic building while speaking at a Rose Garden dinner event in honour of Police Week.

His speech immediately began with talking about the state of the White House.

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"I want to welcome you to the Rose Garden. You know, this is a whole new thing. This used to be grass," he said.

"And took a little heat from my wife. She said, 'Darling, what did you do with my grass?

"I said 'People got tired and standing in mud.'"

Twenty minutes in, his speech became profane.

"I was told by my wife, 'you have to act presidential, so don't use foul language'," Trump said.

"I won't. Therefore, normally I would have said it was a s— house, but I don't want to say that."

He started to detail his grievances with the building.

"The columns were falling down, the plaster was falling off," he said.

"This place is tippy top now, including all the brand new beautiful stone."

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He then began to describe his proposed ballroom, before repeating the false claim that a Democratic Congresswoman married her brother.

Trump also dedicated a substantial part of his speech to his renovations of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The pool has been drained to be repainted blue at Trump's request.

The New York Times reported today that the administration would pay $18 million for the project, far more than the $2.5 million Trump claimed it would cost.

The government awarded the renovators with a no-bid contract last month after claiming the need for repairs was so urgent.

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Yesterday a lawsuit was filed by a Washington non-profit to prevent the pool from being repainted blue.

"The Reflecting Pool's profound reflective quality—achieved through deliberate design choices, including the dark color of its basin—creates the sweeping mirror image of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument that millions of visitors experience every year," the lawsuit states.

"The dark grey, achromatic basin was not incidental to the design. It was the design."

The group argued the administration had not taken into consideration a law that prevents the alteration of historic landmarks without proper scrutiny.

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The Australian soldier who died following a collision during a parachuting training course on NSW's South Coast has been identified and is being remembered for his "genuine and deep commitment to serving the nation".

The Australian Defence Force confirmed that a 50-year-old soldier from the Special Operations Command died during a parachuting course at the Jervis Bay Airfield at about 5.40pm yesterday.

He has been identified as Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle from the Special Air Service Regiment.

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Special Operations Commander Major General Garth Gould said Muddle was partaking in a "specialist parachute training activity" that was being held at the ADF parachute school before he collided with another paratrooper mid-air.

"After successfully opening their parachutes, what we know of the incidents suggests that both paratroopers collided several hundred feet above the ground whilst they were manoeuvring towards the drop zone," Gould said.

"After the collision, both soldiers fell from height."

He said the sergeant from the ADF parachute school who collided with Muddle survived the fall with minor injuries and was the first person to provide first aid to Muddle following the incident.

"Both paratroopers were highly skilled, between the two of them, they had several thousand jumps to their credit.

"[Muddle] joined the army in 1994, he joined Special Operations Command in 2007 and served the majority of his time in Special Operations Command in the Special Air Service Regiment."

"He was operationally experienced, he was a highly qualified Special Forces sniper and military free-fall parachutist."

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Gould added that the 50-year-old was "highly-regarded" within the Defence Force community.

"He will be remembered for his sense of humour and his genuine and deep commitment to serving the nation, serving in the army and serving in the Special Air Regiment."

Following the incident, the ADF has paused all personnel parachuting operations pending an investigation.

"Our priority at the moment is supporting Warrant Officer Muddle's family, and also providing support to the ADF members involved in the incident last night," Gould said.

Gould said that the "senior soldiers" were about four weeks into a six-week block of "advanced military free-fall training".

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"We request that the privacy of Defence members and families is respected at this time," the Australian Defence Force said in a statement.

The death comes after other training incidents in recent years.

Lance Corporal Tulsa Rumney of the 3rd Brigade died in a single-vehicle rollover at the Townsville Field Training Area on October 15, 2025.

Two years ago, in 2024, Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon died after being injured in a parachuting incident at Sydney's Richmond RAAF base.

Gould said he expressed a "high degree of confidence" in the ADF's training, with the Special Operations Commander saying major changes were implemented following the incidents.

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Special Operations

A 25-year-old man is in hospital after he was set on fire at an apartment complex in Wollongong overnight.

Emergency services were called to a unit on Todd Street at Warrawong about 9pm on Monday following reports that a man had suffered serious burns.

It's understood the man was found with severe burns to his face, chest, neck and arms.

READ MORE: Soldier dies completing parachuting training course in Jervis Bay

Paramedics, a medical helicopter crew and nearby residents treated him at the scene before he was flown to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition.

Hospital staff confirmed on Tuesday morning that he was in a serious but stable condition.

Police were told the man had been set alight by another person, who fled before officers arrived.

A crime scene has since been established, and detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Investigators are appealing for public assistance and have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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