President Obama and his national security team monitored the bin Laden mission from the Situation Room in May 2011.
Reggie Love (Obama's former personal aide) stated in a 2013 interview that he and the President played cards on the day of the raid.
The card game (Spades) was used to pass time during the long day, specifically during waiting periods.
Pete Souza was the White House photographer who took the famous Situation Room photo.
Timeline clarification: The card game occurred during the 'big chunks of time' spent waiting before or between phases of the operation, not during the critical 40-minute raid itself.
Reggie Love's quote ('I'm not going to be down there') referred to the waiting periods, not the final operation, though the phrasing initially caused confusion in the media.
Analysis of Claims (3)
"President Obama and his national security team monitored the mission that ended with the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011."
This is a well-documented historical fact supported by official White House records and the iconic Situation Room photograph.
"Reggie Love stated that he played cards with President Obama on the day bin Laden was killed."
In a July 2013 interview (widely reported in August 2013), Reggie Love described playing 15 hands of Spades with Obama, Pete Souza, and Marvin Nicholson to manage stress during the day.
"Obama was in the Situation Room while Navy SEALs were on their mission."
Despite playing cards earlier in the day, Obama was physically present in the Situation Room during the raid itself, as evidenced by the timestamped Situation Room photo and eyewitness accounts.
