This Saturday, the White House released photos of President Trump working on the first day of the government shutdown, a day which also coincided with the one-year anniversary of his inauguration.
One of the photos showed Trump sitting at an empty desk while holding a phone to his ear, while another showed him talking with staffers, including his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, while wearing a white “Make American Great Again” hat.
The White House released this to show how hard Trump’s working during the #TrumpShutdown. He might as well be holding a banana. pic.twitter.com/r4Bmvi0Doe
— shauna (@goldengateblond) January 21, 2018
This is a White House handout photo under the subject "Photos of President Donald J. Trump working in the White House during the Democrat shutdown." Everyone is very smiley in this picture. pic.twitter.com/OzF37mwa8x
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) January 20, 2018
Unsurprisingly, the photos are the subject of mockery on social media, most predominantly on Twitter. As Slate‘s Daniel Politi points out, mockery of the photos wasn’t without merit.
There are several eyebrow-raising details about all the photos, including the fact that the president is always wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap, making them rife for mockery on social media. Plus, there’s the pesky detail that none of the photos actually show Trump meeting with any congressional leaders that could signify an effort to perhaps even talk about the shutdown. Instead we see a president roaming around the White House, chatting with staff, as if he’s just holding tight and waiting for someone else to solve the problem.
The photo that was probably the most made fun of was the one of Trump at his desk.
https://twitter.com/RobTVLA/status/954894586513469441
POTUS hard at work pic.twitter.com/sTk1jJ5zRK
— Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman) January 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/955183224476532738
An emerging trend is that Trump and his staff have no idea how to stage photos to make it seem like he’s actually working. pic.twitter.com/kFHKvWdKLf
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 21, 2018
Honestly this looks like someone’s first time using a phone and a chair https://t.co/fynnz3elUC
— Mike Royce (@MikeRoyce) January 21, 2018
Hi Melania, do you know where my hat is? pic.twitter.com/2yzYQIwIdz
— Bozwonk (@lolwarlol) January 21, 2018
*Barron and Melania calling from the other room*
Trump: "Hello"
Barron: "Uh hi, is your refrigerator running?"
Trump: "I think so"
Barron: "SO IT WORKS BETTER THAN YOUR GOVERNMENT THEN"
*Barron and Melania high five* pic.twitter.com/Nn3SucfAwv— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) January 21, 2018
Featured image via Twitter
