
As all of United States got ready to sky gaze and watch the spectacular total solar eclipse on August 21, more than photos of the magnificent sight, the photos of POTUS Donald Trump started trending on the Internet. Wonder why? Well, when scientists warned people around the world to watch the phenomenon with their protective eye-gear on, Trump decided to go ahead and watch it, yes you guessed it, without protective glasses! Thanks to the watchful Twitter users who also double up as ‘ardent followers’ of the President, photos of the world leader squinting as he tried to get a better look of the total solar eclipse went viral. And of course, Trump became a meme again, in no time.
Rummaging through many tweets that started doing the rounds on the Internet after Trump’s tryst with the eclipse, there were two instances that really stood out. One, is the prediction of Jules, a Twitter user, whose bio reads “proudly blocked by @realDonaldTrump”. He shared the screenshot of a tweet he posted before it actually happened — “Can’t wait for the photo of Donald Trump squinting directly into the eclipse to go viral.” Second, the video showing Trump looking at the moon covering the sun, there is somebody right below who screams “Don’t look!”, but when has anything ever stopped Trump, people on the Internet wondered, rightfully so. But in all fairness, Trump started off by wearing the protective eye-gear, probably got bored mid-way and took them off.
This, in spite of a lot of emphasis being laid on why not to watch the phenomenon directly and especially not using a telescope.
Check out some of the reactions here.
[*Curb Your Enthusiasm theme*] pic.twitter.com/1zKCToAQRS
— Scott Tobias (@scott_tobias) August 21, 2017
Out of town trying to unplug and a friend here mentioned Trump looked at the eclipse to prove science is fake. I thought they were joking.😣 https://t.co/dAq4B1fITi
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 21, 2017
Advisor: ‘Mr. President, CNN said to not look directly at the Sun during the eclipse.’ Trump: Fake News! #SolarEclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/yaAqe2TSza
— Jason Pellegrini (@JPellegrini1983) August 21, 2017
“There’s something wrong with his medulla oblongata!” – Donald Trump Looking Directly At The Sun During the Solar Eclipse pic.twitter.com/CIijlelaOZ
— C.A.M.P. (@CAMPwh202) August 22, 2017
id say theres about a 50% chance this happens later pic.twitter.com/dQ1zqZWxqv
— leon (@leyawn) August 21, 2017
Hey, our President may have irreparably damaged his retinas? #eclipse pic.twitter.com/aZdfOGVuUi
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) August 21, 2017
<melania in a whisper one second before>: they say obama was afraid to look at the sun pic.twitter.com/FprwIEA9qU
— Kilgore Trout (@KT_So_It_Goes) August 21, 2017
when ur friend explicitly tells u not to look at her secret crush https://t.co/l6ryiJH43M
— Tasneem N (@TasneemN) August 21, 2017
Impulse control. pic.twitter.com/0IYGSkfA2X
— Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) August 21, 2017
I cannot handle this right now. pic.twitter.com/JXjuHH2ivA
— Jules (@jules_su) August 21, 2017
As he did this, someone in a crowd of aides below shouted “Don’t look.” pic.twitter.com/dtfSLEzcAZ
— Ted Mann (@TMannWSJ) August 21, 2017
This is probably the moment when Trump ordered the eclipse. #SolarEclipse2017pic.twitter.com/BsBdGi8x4U
— Brian Carey (@brianmcarey) August 21, 2017