Photos from Mar-a-Lago guest reportedly show Trump responding to North Korea launch
Facebook photos from a Mar-a-Lago guest appear to show President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the middle of the club’s dining room while handling the fallout from North Korea’s missile launch.
Richard DeAgazio posted the photos early Sunday morning, capping off what had been an eventful weekend at the Palm Beach, Fla., club owned by the president.
“HOLY MOLY !!!,” wrote DeAgazio. “It was fascinating to watch the flurry of activity at dinner when the news came that North Korea had launched a missile in the direction of Japan. The Prime Minister Abe of Japan huddles with his staff and the President is on the phone with Washington DC. the two world leaders then conferred and then went into another room for hastily arranged press conference. Wow…..the center of the action!!!”
Trump and Abe were reportedly deciding how to address a North Korean ballistic missile launch that occurred late Saturday night.
The DeAgazio photos highlight what critics say is a lack of security around the Trump administration through the first few weeks. According to CNN, “Trump’s National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and chief strategist Steve Bannon left their seats to huddle closer to Trump as documents were produced and phone calls were placed to officials in Washington and Tokyo. The patio was lit only with candles and moonlight, so aides used the camera lights on their phones to help the stone-faced Trump and Abe read through the documents.”
But DeAgazio said he wasn’t concerned about sensitive material being overheard.
“You don’t hear anything. You can’t hear,” DeAgazio told the Washington Post. “I mean, I can barely hear what’s going on at my table.”
Trump and Abe both gave brief public statements responding to the news.
“I just want everybody to understand, and fully know, that the United States of America is behind Japan, our great ally, 100 percent,” Trump told reporters during a joint statement late Saturday.
DeAgazio posted additional photos from the weekend, including one of his dining companions kissing Trump on the cheek, a selfie with White House strategist Steve Bannon and another selfie identifying a man named Rick who he says is responsible for carrying the nuclear “football,” which allows the president to authorize a nuclear attack while away from the White House.
“This is Rick,” wrote DeAgazio. “He carries the ‘football’ The nuclear football (also known as the atomic football, the President’s emergency satchel, the Presidential Emergency Satchel, the button, the black box, or just the football) is a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the White House Situation Room. It functions as a mobile hub in the strategic defense system of the United States. It is held by an aide-de-camp. and Rick is the Man.”
DeAgazio removed his Facebook account Monday.
Mar-a-Lago is a private club owned by Trump whose membership rolls have not been opened up to the public. The membership fee to join the club doubled to $200,000 on Jan. 1, according to CNBC.
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