After flying to France to participate in World War 1 commemorations, Trump skipped a visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery 50 miles outside of Paris because it was raining. The official excuse was that Marine One, the presidential helicopter, couldn’t fly. But that didn’t keep other dignitaries, including Trump’s chief of staff Gen. Kelly and chairman of the joint chiefs Gen. Dunford, from attending. And French, Canadian, and German heads of state attended ceremonies at other sites in the Paris surroundings.
Some speculated the U.S. president was just tired and not up to it. But the criticism was prompt and savage: A former Pentagon aide called him “real low energy.” Others said he was “distracted and disengaged” by his political battles at home. The Washington Post pointed out, “Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama, [who] helped plan Obama’s foreign travel throughout his two terms … said it was common to have a backup plan to deal with inclement weather.” David Frum “suggested Trump could have tried to scramble a motorcade to keep his schedule.”
Twitter users posted photos of President Obama standing uncovered in the rain (see example below). Winston Churchill’s grandson called it “pathetic.” John Kerry was more visceral:
“President [Trump] a no-show because of raindrops? Those veterans the president didn’t bother to honor fought in the rain, in the mud, in the snow – & many died in trenches for the cause of freedom. Rain didn’t stop them & it shouldn’t have stopped an American president.”
Trump, who often uses military settings and troops as props for his propaganda, never served in the military. He avoided the Vietnam draft with a medical deferment, prompting Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whom he often mocks by calling her “Pocahontas,” to return the favor by calling him “Cadet Bone Spurs.”
Anyway, this song’s for you, Donny Boy: