President Donald Trump has made a baffling edit to a photo of him and his Chinese communist leader pal.
Trump, 80, welcomed the “strong, vibrant, and fit” Xi Jinping to the U.S. on Wednesday by rolling out a gigantic red carpet for the Chinese president.
To add to the pomp and ceremony, a military flyover (that made Trump wince) took place, and the two men posed for photos, where POTUS proudly saluted (before, during, and after wincing).
Bizarrely, though, when photographs of the moment made their way to Trump’s Truth Social feed, a couple of things were missing. Trump’s pathetic reaction to the jet he knew was coming had disappeared, as had one of the president’s gloves.
Some people were bemused when the president chose to wear leather gloves and a long coat on what was a cool day at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Some were even more bemused when one of the gloves went missing—but only in his Truth Social post.
Live coverage shows that the president had his gloves all the way up to and during the salute. But on his social media feed, he shared an image of his left glove missing as he saluted with his right, gloved hand.
“Only Trump,” a text overlay on the image says.
Trump and Xi’s wives walked directly behind the two world leaders during the red-carpet stroll; however, Trump chose one of the few photos in which neither Peng Liyuan nor Melania Trump was visible.
In another “only Trump” moment, the president couldn’t help but admire the 73-year-old’s vitality in a fawning Truth Social post.
Less than 24 hours into Xi’s three-day visit, he wrote, “I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday, and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit - Better than ever.
Peng also got a shoutout. “Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!” the president added.
During an arrival ceremony at the White House on Thursday, Trump was pictured with both hands caked in makeup, perhaps explaining the decision to wear gloves a day prior.
“You can see why Trump was wearing gloves in 65 degree weather yesterday 😬,” journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X, sharing images of the 80-year-old’s hands slathered in foundation.
The Daily Beast has asked the White House to clear up the glove mystery.
