President Trump joined the eclipse mania on Monday afternoon, stepping out on a White House balcony to look up at the sky. However, the president did the one thing you're not supposed to do during an eclipse (or ever, really), and looked directly at the sun.
Photos of President Trump during the eclipse show him standing next to the first lady and staring straight up at the sky with no protective eclipse glasses on. At one point, he even pointed at the sun, in case anyone was wondering where the celestial event was occurring.
A video of the president's eclipse viewing shows that he didn't stare at the sun with his naked eye, but looked up for a few seconds multiple times as the press took photos. He appeared to be joking with his gestures, but after a few upward glances, someone shouted, "Don't look!"
Someone shouts "don't look" as Pres. Trump looks up without eclipse glasses on as solar eclipse passes over D.C. https://t.co/5ft70fm30R pic.twitter.com/0lAkuzF9RZ
— ABC News (@ABC) August 21, 2017
Apparently Trump didn't read any of the hundreds of articles warning people not to look directly at the eclipse without any protective eclipse glasses on. It's not just a recommendation, either — it can damage your eyes and even cause you to go blind.
Per usual, people took to Twitter to make fun of the commander-in-chief for not following the advice of experts.
PEOPLE BEFORE THE ECLIPSE: "Headlines 4 hours from now will say Trump looked at the eclipse without glasses, that's a good parody headline" pic.twitter.com/QyM9jTEEPf
— Mдтт Иegяiи 🔮 (@MattNegrin) August 21, 2017
AIDE: You need to wear eclipse glasses.
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) August 21, 2017
TRUMP: Did Obama wear them?
AIDE: Yes - it's a safety issue.
TRUMP: Then it's settled. No glasses. pic.twitter.com/gXQrDat96l
Scientists: Don't look at the eclipse without special glasses
— Moe (@MoeAlayan) August 21, 2017
Donald Trump: Fake news pic.twitter.com/g4TlS34GpF
Eventually, the president, first lady, and 11-year-old Barron did put on the appropriate eye gear and continued to gaze up at the sky without damaging their retinas. When a reporter asked how it looked, Trump gave a thumbs up, Politico reports, and stopped watching after about 90 seconds.
Exciting to watch the total eclipse with @potus today! #Eclipse2017 😎 pic.twitter.com/85Y8R4yJU7
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) August 21, 2017
Photos posted by Ivanka Trump show that she joined the president on the balcony, along with a few Cabinet secretaries. The first daughter even tweeted a boomerang of herself warning everyone to wear the correct glasses.
Excited for #Eclipse2017? Remember to wear your glasses 👓 #NASA #STEM pic.twitter.com/FzujQai4G3
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) August 21, 2017
It seems the president didn't see (or didn't heed) her warning.
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