B efore President Trump’s first overseas trip, we were told over and over that the stakes were high. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, especially with world leaders with whom you disagree on major issues such as middle east peace, trade, climate change, and the financial responsibilities of member states in NATO.
President Trump arrived after a long trip he didn’t want to take and before long was whisked off in something strange yet comfortably familiar: a golf cart. This wouldn’t have been a Twitter moment if he were on a golf course because, after all, that’s where they belong.
Helpfully, the Saudi Arabian embassy in the United States explained what we see below. While Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did it better this wasn’t his first ardah. Below, we see Trump in full sway, with a sword, channeling my brethren, the dads among us who are simply trying not to look ridiculous around dudes who can dance.
It didn’t stop with swords. This battle of the NBC network stars was quite a contest (oh, just wait). No single moment during this overseas trip about nothing captured the made-for-Twitter strangeness of the odyssey than Trump and his oil-rich hosts reminding themselves they’ve got the whole world in their hands.
The physical comedy continued in Israel with the stakes seemingly lower because it was just famous people walking a red carpet, something they’ve done hundreds of times before. Perhaps sensing this, Melania curved her husband, leader of the free world, who was simply reaching for her hand.
After facing criticism for leaking highly classified information to the Russians via Israel, President Trump confirmed it even though he said he “never mentioned” it was from Israel. As the story broke before Trump’s overseas trips we could have left this moment off the list but the awkwardness of this press conference is worth revisiting.
Donald Trump became the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem. It was a solemn moment and something I found personally affecting — as did many Israelis. Twitter, of course, saw it quite differently. We tested the full name “Western Wall,” distinguishing it from the domestic border issue.