President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday took a moment in the afternoon to observe the first total solar eclipse to pass over the United States from one coast to the other since 1918.
White House pool reporter Ted Mann, from the Wall Street Journal, tweeted updates from the nation’s capital, which was not in the path of totality and saw a partial solar eclipse that peaked at 2:42 p.m ET.
Scientists warned during the lead-up to the eclipse that looking directly at the sun during the phenomenon could result in permanent eye damage, but according to Mann, Trump looked at the sun despite a shouted warning.
Colander obscura, courtesy WH kitchen staff. pic.twitter.com/1qyd2qZFZ0
— Ted Mann (@TMannWSJ) August 21, 2017
Waiting for the show: Jeff Sessions and Wilbur Ross pic.twitter.com/FAIXXHbMAa
— Ted Mann (@TMannWSJ) August 21, 2017
As he did this, someone in a crowd of aides below shouted "Don't look." pic.twitter.com/dtfSLEzcAZ
— Ted Mann (@TMannWSJ) August 21, 2017
yep, trump looked without glasses #solareclipse pic.twitter.com/PDzRNtXL4n
— kelly cohen (@politiCOHEN_) August 21, 2017
He and first lady Melania Trump appeared to don protective eyewear as the eclipse progressed.
Well… duh. He’s incompetent at everything.
He kept putting his tongue on poles and posts, too, an nuthin!
The sun doesn’t tell me what to do. Fuck the sun. I’m the President of the Free World!
It looks like it took a total solar eclipse to get Trump to stop tweeting.
There is none so blind as he that will not see. Except, maybe, for he who is too dumb to learn not to look directly at the sun.