Sunday, June 2, 2019

1,000 Words - Updated

This is the president of the United States...

Image result for Trump visits church in Virginia
photo credit: The Times

Image result for Trump visits church in Virginia
photo credit: KURV.com

Image result for Trump visits church in Virginia
photo credit: AP

... and these pictures were taken today. Apparently the White House is saying Donald stopped at a church in Virginia to "pray for the victims of the Virginia Beach mass shooting," but according to CNN, that's not exactly what happened:

President Donald Trump on Sunday made an unannounced stop at a church in Virginia in the wake of a mass shooting that left 12 people dead in Virginia Beach.

Judd Deere, a spokesman for the White House, said in a statement, "President Donald J. Trump is visiting McLean Bible Church in Vienna, VA, to visit with the Pastor and pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach."

The President did not give remarks, and there was no mention of the shooting in Virginia Beach while Trump was at the church.

Trump made the stop at the church following a golf outing at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. (This is the story in its entirety.) 

There are reports that Donald is the one who was prayed for:

Image result for Trump visits church in Virginia

Why does Donald look so wretched? No way to know for sure but the man is under a lot of stress. Granted he's trying to look serious while he's being prayed for, but he manages a smirk and a thumbs-up too. Why does his hair look so weird? Slicked straight back and not recently washed?  Huffington Post says it's "hat hair" after his golf game; note that he didn't bother to change out of his golf shoes before entering the church:

President Donald Trump visited northern Virginia's McLean Bible Church on Sunday.
photo credit: Associated Press

As I'm writing this post, at about 9.00 p.m. Central time Sunday night, Donald is winging his way across the Atlantic for his big meeting with the Queen and her family over the next three days. The spotlight on Donald and his family will be very bright indeed, let's hope he gets himself together before walking into it.

Update on Monday morning. Donald has arrived in London and so far, at least, he is not happy. As frequently happens, the second tweet has a typo:





On the distaff side of things, Melania opted for a hat, but unlike the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, no gloves:



What about Ivanka? Yes, she's there, observing the proceedings from a Buckingham Palace balcony, also dressed head-to-toe in white:




I wonder how Melania feels about that. You can read what I wrote last July during Donald and Melania's first visit with Her Majesty here and here.

And one more thing. Where was the previous president while Donald was being prayed for yesterday? In Toronto, watching game 2 of the NBA finals:  


Update #2, mid-morning on Monday. In an article dated May 25 and titled Inside Trump's Air Force One: It's like being held captive, CNN provides a glimpse of what it's like to travel with Donald:

President Donald Trump's visit to Tokyo this weekend kicks off a summer of global jet-setting that takes him to five separate countries -- and confines him to the presidential aircraft for more than 80 hours flying overseas.

Not always an eager traveler, Trump has complained in the past about the pace of his foreign travel or the accommodations arranged for him abroad. It's his aides, however, who sometimes dread boarding Air Force One for a lengthy flight overseas, knowing full well the boss will make little use of the bed wedged into the nose of the plane.

"It's like being held captive," one official said of traveling with the President on Air Force One.

Current and former officials have described White House trips as grueling endeavors accompanied by long hours, but several privately said the flights overseas are easily the worst. The duration can stretch nearly 20 hours. Sleeping space is limited. The televisions are streaming Fox News constantly. And if the headlines flashing across the bottom of the screen are unfavorable to their boss, aides know it's time to buckle up for a turbulent ride.

...During international flights, Trump typically remains in the front cabin. He does four things, the current and former aides said: eats, watches television or reads newspapers, talks with staff and calls friends and allies back home as he zips away into foreign skies. (Read the article here.)

I thought of that article as I watched some of the coverage of today's state visit. In particular, I was struck by the schedule of activities. Donald and Melania left Washington last night and arrived in London this morning. Upon arrival they were taken to Winfield House, residence of the U.S. ambassador, to change their clothes, then on to Buckingham Palace for the ceremonial welcome and lunch with the royal family. From there they're going to Westminster Abbey for a tour with Prince Andrew, then to Clarence House for tea with Charles and Camilla. Then it's back to Winfield House to change for the big state dinner tonight, which I believe doesn't even start until close to 9.00 p.m. Granted, they don't have to ride the subway or take a taxi through the streets of London, but still. That's a grueling schedule that would probably tax a man 20 years younger than Donald. Let's hope he doesn't nod off during dinner.

Update #3, on Monday night. Looks like I was right. Donald appears to have trouble staying awake during Her Majesty's toast:



And yes, Donald's adult children and their spouses were there, no sign of Kimberly Guilfoyle:  


Finally, at least for now, I can't resist posting this:


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