Trump and Japan's Abe plotted their North Korea missile response on a crowded dining terrace
Source: The Week
When President Trump learned that North Korea had fired a midrange ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday morning, Saturday night's dinner was being served on the terrace at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. This is how he dealt with the first national security emergency of his administration, according to CNN:
Sitting alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he'd spent most of the day golfing, Trump took the call on a mobile phone at his table, which was set squarely in the middle of the private club's dining area. As Mar-a-Lago's wealthy members looked on from their tables, and with a keyboard player crooning in the background, Trump and Abe's evening meal quickly morphed into a strategy session, the decision-making on full view to fellow diners, who described it in detail 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.... Waiters cleared the wedge salads and brought along the main course as Trump and Abe continued consulting with aides. {CNN}
Read more: http://theweek.com/speedreads/679763/trump-japans-abe-plotted-north-korea-missile-response-crowded-dining-terrace
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But as he sat down for the planned working dinner with Abe, whose country is well within range of North Korea's missiles, it was clear his counterpart felt it necessary to respond to the test. The launch occurred just before 8 a.m. on Sunday morning in Japan.
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.
@anamariecox who needs to even bug a room anymore when aides just flat out point their own connected cameras at documents.
Kimberley @beyzoar
@GrrrlRomeo @anamariecox "What was that noise?" "Oh nothing, nothing! *hurriedly turning off shutter sound*"
The story's now all over the media, with a number of pics taken by diners being published.
These were from a diner's Facebook (he's a Trump fan; his page is now deleted but archived):
Here's another:
And here's Trump flirting with a female diner who took his picture at the table with some preoccupied aides and Abe:
