According to the White House, US President Donald Trump cancelled a Saturday trip to a US World War I military cemetery in France due to weather conditions.
He and his wife Melania had been scheduled to fly to the site of a 1918 battle that US Marines led against German forces after talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Instead of the Trumps, the US delegation to the cemetery will be led by Chief of Staff General John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford.
Nicholas Soames, an MP for Britain’s Mid Sussex and grandson of Winston Churchill, took to Twitter on Saturday to lambast ”pathetic” President Trump over cancelling the cemetery visit due to bad weather.
"They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate @realDonaldTrump couldn’t even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen," Soames tweeted. He even accompanied his post with a hashtag saying Trump is "not fit to represent his great country."
They died with their face to the foe and that pathetic inadequate @realDonaldTrump couldn’t even defy the weather to pay his respects to The Fallen #hesnotfittorepresenthisgreatcountry
— Nicholas Soames (@NSoames) 10 ноября 2018 г.
Other Twitterians quickly followed suit, chuckling over or, conversely, referencing with pain the reasons why the Trumps abstained from the visit:
Rain, heel spurs… he does anything to avoid anything to do with the military apparently. Embarrassing.
— Mat Thomas (@EmptyUK) 10 ноября 2018 г.
He is unfit to be president. Horrible conduct.
— magenta96 (@valleylily56) 10 ноября 2018 г.
The “disgraceful” act was naturally elaborated on:
Meanwhile, the young Men who were sent to their deaths have to lie in the rain 😒 #WorldWar #PoppyFascism.
— james spencer (@elgae669) 10 ноября 2018 г.
Others opted to post pictures of other heads of state setting examples of how to “honour their fallen”:
This is how Real Leaders honour their fallen in ‘Light Rain’
— Erin Finn Macdonell (@ErinSUPnGirl) 10 ноября 2018 г.
SHAME ON TRUMP! #RememberThem #TheFallen #France #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/8JgHoaMaNZ
Hilarious remarks also naturally arrived, with some social networkers recalling the recent umbrella incident involving Trump, who just tossed it to the side without bothering to give it to his staffer on board Air Force One.
In his defense (and I'd be the last guy to ever defend him), the current occupant of the White House doesn't know how to use an umbrella. pic.twitter.com/zDnJ5qLzA1
— Douglas E. Fresh (@dstorbe) 10 ноября 2018 г.
Not entirely Trump's fault, no one has shown him how to properly operate an umbrella
— Jeff MacDonald (@jeffmacdonald72) 10 ноября 2018 г.
One brought up his famed hay yellow tresses and tan:
His hair and spray tan would be ruined. Can’t have that from the most selfish man ever!
— Michelle Gemini 🌸 (@MichelleGemini8) 10 ноября 2018 г.
A couple of netizens drew parallels with other events that Trump did not cancel due to rain, namely a golf clash:
Rain wasn’t slowing Trump down on this day… pic.twitter.com/zfknqAY5NE
— Jeff Bruder (@JeffBruder) 10 ноября 2018 г.
On Sunday, November 11, as many as 70 world leaders will gather at the tomb of the Unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which was officially brought to an end by The Treaty of Versailles in on 11 November 1919.
