3 fallen officers awarded 1st-ever Medal of Sacrifice
Trump awarded the first-ever Medal of Sacrifice for fallen law enforcement officers and first responders on Monday to three Florida deputies who were killed when they were struck by an SUV while working to restore one of their motorcycles on the shoulder of the road.
Cpl. Luis Paez Jr., Deputy Sheriff Ignacio "Dan" Diaz and Deputy Sheriff Ralph "Butch" Waller Jr. from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office were posthumously honored Monday at a ceremony in the Oval Office. Family members and law enforcement representing each of the victims accepted the awards on their behalf.
"In one way, it's very sad, but we properly respect the ones that have lost their lives today," Trump said. "We also remember three remarkable heroes who will become the medals' first-ever recipients. It's a big honor."
Eric Trump, who the president said was heavily involved in making the medals become a reality, said the idea came to him while at a service for the officers.
"My father and I attended that funeral that day, and I can't tell you how moving that experience was. I can't tell you how moving that experience was. And one simple question was asked: Why is there no medal -- Medal of Valor or Medal of Sacrifice -- that commemorates law enforcement officers, first responders who have fallen in the line of duty?" Eric Trump said.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
Trump says 'of course' he talked to Putin about potential meeting
President Trump, at an event in the Oval Office, took several questions about his phone call earlier Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Asked if he asked Putin to meet over Ukraine, Trump said responded: "Yeah, of course I did. I talked to him about it. I said, 'When are we going to end this, Vladimir?'"
"I had known for a long time now," Trump continued. "I said, 'When are we going to end this bloodshed, this this bloodbath?' It's a bloodbath. And, I do believe he wants to end it."
Trump was pressed on if he stood by his earlier comments that nothing would happen until he and Putin got together, given no major breakthroughs as a result of Monday's hourslong call.
"I think something's going to happen," Trump said. "It's a very, very big egos involved, I tell you, big egos involved. But I think something's going to happen. And if it doesn't, I just back away and they're going to have to keep going again. This is a European situation. It should have remained a European situation."
Trump says 'some progress' made with Putin after phone call
President Donald Trump briefly spoke about his hourslong phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a bill signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
"We just spent 2.5 hours talking to Vladimir Putin, and I think some progress has been made," Trump said. "It's a terrible situation going on over there."
"So, hopefully we -- we did something," Trump added. "We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations. And, we're trying to get that whole thing wrapped up. What a shame that it ever started in the first place."
Read more about the highly-anticipated diplomatic call here.
President Trump, Melania Trump team up at 'Take it Down Act' signing ceremony
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump teamed up on Monday for the signing of the "Take it Down Act" -- a bipartisan bill aimed at cracking down on the nonconsensual sharing of sexually explicit videos and photos, including deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence.
Melania Trump, in remarks in the Rose Garden, called the bill's signing a "national victory that will help parents and families protect children from online exploitation."
"Artificial Intelligence and social media are the digital candy for the next generation: sweet, addictive and engineered to have an impact on the cognitive development of our children," she said. "But unlike sugar, these new technologies can be weaponized, shape beliefs, and sadly affect emotions, and even be deadly."
The first lady thanked her husband "for standing with us on this effort" and said she's calling on the Federal Trade Commission and the private sector to do their part next on this issue. Her support for the bill is part of her "Be Best" campaign, an initiative launched during President Trump's first term that is focused on children's well-being.
"With the rise of AI image generation, countless women have been harassed with deep thanks and other explicit images distributed against their will. This is the wrong and it's just so horribly wrong, and it's a very abusive situation ... and today we're making it totally illegal," President Trump said in his own remarks.
