On Wednesday, Trump announced that in addition to the US deploying up to 2,000 troops to Poland (a 1,000-servicemember increase from previous reports), Warsaw had also inked a deal to purchase "32 or 35 brand new F-35s at the highest level” from Washington.
Celebrating Poland’s pricey purchase amid the country’s military modernization efforts, The White House organized a special showing of two F-35 fighter jets in action.
"At 1:55 to 2:00, we are going to have two super F-35s ... put on a very small show for us, and we are doing that because Poland has [ordered] 32 or 35 brand new F-35s at the highest level," Trump told reporters during his Wednesday afternoon meeting with his Polish counterpart.
Despite his claim, only one Marine Corps F-35 fighter showed up.
Also, Trump’s brief advisory did not really reach everyone in the DC area. As a result, the F-35B Lightning II (whose 92 decibel flyover is approximately four times the strength of lawnmower) took many uninformed individuals in the nation’s capital by surprise.
Many netizens in the DC area were able to capture the spectacle on their smartphones.
Some others who quickly learned or were previously informed about the flyover either voiced their disagreement with commander-in-chief’s military flex or used it as time to troll Trump, who had previously (falsely) claimed “you literally can't see” the fighter jet.