Stunned Melania flinches as Trump urges stealth bomber pilots to reveal their identities on live TV
The White House had invited those involved in the June 22 bombing campaign to enjoy the annual picnic on the South Lawn, which is traditionally held for military families.
The pilots' names have remained secret as the Iranian regime had previously vowed to assassinate Trump and other top Trump officials after the U.S. killing of Iran's Quds Force leader, Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
'We're honored to be joined by 150 airmen and their families from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the home of the B-2 bomber,' Trump said from the Truman Balcony Friday to cheers from the crowd.
'And we've kept them a little bit on guard, we've kept them a little bit - let's be a little bit quiet about it. If you want to raise your hand very quickly, raise your hand, because you people are just incredible,' the president instructed.
Melania Trump, dressed in a white shirt-dress, could be seen shaking her head and then laughing.
At least one member of the crowd appeared to raise his hand at the president's request.
'We don't want to be in disguise, we don't have to do that,' the president continued. 'They're looking at us like we're a bunch of babies.'
'We don't have to be in disguise. We saw all those hands go up,' he added. 'Thank you very much. We owe you everything.'
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request on whether the servicemembers would receive protection if Iran decided to retaliate against them.
Before the president made his remarks, there were three military flyovers the White House, two which featured the giant B-2 stealth jets - which dropped 'bunker buster' bombs onto the Iran nuclear site Fordow.
Tomahawk missiles fired from a submarine were used to attack the Iranian nuclear sites of Natanz and Isfahan as well.
As Iran woke up to the news, Trump addressed the bombings from the White House that Saturday night, saying the sites were 'completely and totally obliterated.'
He railed against CNN and The New York Times for reporting on an initial assessment that didn't paint as rosy a picture about the destructive nature of the attacks, suggesting they only set the Iranian nuclear agenda back by a number of months.
Trump said the B-2 pilots needed to be 'respected' by news outlets.
'Very unfair to the pilots that risk their lives for our country, and then they get fake news and CNN make up a phony story to get some hits. That's the only reason I care about it, because those pilots were so brave, I've never seen anything like it,' Trump said last week while attending the NATO Summit in the Hague.
'They flew into the hornets' nest and then they got hurt so badly by what the fake news wrote,' Trump argued.
Iran retaliated by sending missiles toward the Al-Udeid Air Base located outside of Doha in Qatar - the U.S.'s largest military installation in the Middle East, which Trump had visited the month before.
Those missiles were all intercepted and later that day, the president announced a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel - which has since held, after a few initial missile firings and some strong language about the conflict out of Trump's mouth.
The president was in a much better mood on Friday, celebrating both the servicemembers in the South Lawn and what he called his 'greatest victory yet' - Congressional passage of the so-called 'Big, Beautiful Bill.'
After the flyovers and a brief speech, Trump walked down onto the South Lawn and signed the bill into law, surrounded by Republican lawmakers.
He gleefully tapped the gavel presented to him by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was standing along Trump's side.
The crowd was interspersed with Cabinet members and top Trump officials including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan 'Razin' Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin and more.
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