White House urged firing live bombs, not dummies, for Trump’s visit to Navy celebration: AP sources
October 28, 2025
The White House pressed Navy officials to launch 2,000-pound live bombs instead of dummy explosives during a recent military demonstration for the service’s 250th anniversary celebration that President Donald Trump attended. That’s according to two people familiar with planning for the event. One of the people familiar with the planning said White House officials insisted to Navy planners that Trump “needed to see explosions” instead of just a “big splash.” This comes as the administration is facing scrutiny over another military demonstration in California, where a misfired live artillery round led to shrapnel spraying onto a freeway.