Trump makes ‘weird' gestures from White House roof: ‘Building nuclear missiles?’

President Trump took reporters' questions from the White House's roof. It appears that the 79-year-old indicated that he is ‘building nuclear missiles’ there.

Published on: Aug 5, 2025, 23:34:01 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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President Donald Trump took reporters' questions from an unusual place on Tuesday - the White House's roof. It appears that the 79-year-old indicated that he is ‘building nuclear missiles’ there. He also made a gesture, showing a missile. When asked by a reporter, ‘Sir, why are you up on the roof?’, Trump quipped that he was ‘taking a little walk’.

President Donald Trump gestures to reporters during his walk on the White House roof (REUTERS)

He also mentioned the $200 million East Wing ‘ballroom on the other side’. Videos of President Trump on the White House roof went viral on social media.

Trump made an appearance at approximately 9:40 AM local time, an hour after Secret Service members were seen taking various precautions, including placing counter-snipers atop the West Wing. The president exited a door leading from the State Dining Room to the roof of the briefing room at 10:45 AM.

Trump gestures about nuclear missiles?

President Trump made several gestures, dubbed ‘weird’ on social media, from the White House roof.

“Mr President! What are you looking to build?” a reporter asked Trump, who responded with a quick,"Nuclear missiles." He further made a missile hand motion.

“Donald Trump is on the roof of the White House screeching at reporters. If any one of us stood on our roofs yelling at people and making weird gestures, we’d be sent to the funny farm. 25th this guy already,” one person wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. They posted a video of Trump making the gesture.

“While walking around on the roof of the White House earlier today, President Trump was asked by reporters what he was trying to build, to which he responded “Nuclear Missiles” before pointing at the roof and then making a launch gesture towards the sky,” another person tweeted.

“Oh nothing… just the President of the United States taking a little stroll on top of the White House and using hand gestures to describe how beautiful his renovations will look 🤣” a third one added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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