OH BOY: Trump Botching a Salute to North Korean Military Officer Surfaces on Twitter and It’s Painful
North Korean TV has aired its first footage of the #TrumpKimSummit. Look out for the handshake/salute confusion 55 seconds in. pic.twitter.com/JS5yEUprgz
— BBC Monitoring (@BBCMonitoring) June 14, 2018
North Korean state media has put out a propaganda video following Monday’s summit in Singapore (obtained by the BBC). And in it, President Donald Trump is seen, in an extremely awkward moment, initially extending his hand to a North Korean general, and then — after that general salutes him — returning the favor.
This, said Rear Admiral John Kirby (Ret.), was a stunning breach of protocol.
“He should have just nodded his head when the general saluted him, and reached out his hand and did a handshake,” Kirby said Thursday on CNN. “That’s the appropriate thing. Look, he’s the Commander-in-Chief. He doesn’t even salute his own generals. They salute him. That’s the way it works. And you don’t certainly don’t do it with leaders of foreign militaries. And you most certainly don’t do it with the leaders of foreign militaries of an adversary nation.
Twitter seized upon the new footage. Here’s a sampling of the reaction:
DO NOT SALUTE pic.twitter.com/43B5DdQu2M
— Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) June 14, 2018
UNPATRIOTIC: Kneeling during national anthem to protest systemic racism
PATRIOTIC: Saluting North Korean military officer pic.twitter.com/eVslzpSz6U
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 14, 2018
YOU GUYS JUST DON’T KNOW THE DIPLOMATIC PROTOCOL. THE STATE DEPARTMENT HANDBOOK SAYS YOU ALWAYS SALUTE FOREIGN GENERALS. pic.twitter.com/8K0zX8QTmw
— Jim Swift (@JSwiftTWS) June 14, 2018
Just the President of the United States saluting a North Korean general. Cool cool cool. pic.twitter.com/L5t94EKzkf
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) June 14, 2018
⁉WHAT⁉
North Korean TV aired its first footage of the #TrumpKimSummit.@realDonaldTrump actually **SALUTES** a North Korean general (look for the handshake/salute confusion at 0:55).?
What an idiot.pic.twitter.com/ktsgriD0Mw
— Dr. Dena Grayson (@DrDenaGrayson) June 14, 2018
Please stand for the national anthem while I salute this general from North Korea ?
— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) June 14, 2018
NO! The President of the United States of America saluting a North Korean General? What an absolute disgrace!
(The narration by Jeanine Pirro makes it so much worse, too. Just listen to her tone.) https://t.co/M5gIjNYFUt
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 14, 2018
So weird that the @WhiteHouse didn’t release this footage of Trump saluting a North Korean officer anyway remember that time Obama lowered his head by one inch to a foreign leader and Fox News changed its name to The (Muslim?) President Loves America’s Enemies Network pic.twitter.com/fBS8t7fWhr
— 324 days ago Trump promised 24-hr Hezbollah answer (@MattNegrin) June 14, 2018
Not the birthday gift Trump wanted today
North Korean state media just debuted new behind the scene footage of the Trump-Kim Summit, showing Trump saluting a North Korean General pic.twitter.com/x0U5dCZKmH
— Jason K. Morrell (@CNNJason) June 14, 2018
A lot of people were upset when Obama bowed to the Saudi king. Trump is now in a North Korean propaganda film saluting a North Korean general (albeit playfully). Did it happen? If so, a president ought to be more careful …
— Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger) June 14, 2018
Watch above, via the BBC.
[featured image via screengrab]
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Follow Joe DePaolo (@joe_depaolo) on Twitter
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