36 hours with Donald Trump, in pictures
It's hard to keep track of the news that President Donald Trump generates.
This week was particularly visual, so we decided to help you keep track of the news with this photo story, much of it generated by The White House.
The Italian interpreter
Trump met with the president of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, on Wednesday, in an otherwise uneventful press event.
What stood out, however, were the Italian interpreter's facial expressions during this appearance. Here, she is responding to Trump saying, "If my opponent would have won, China would right now be the most powerful country economically in the world."
"Nervous Nancy"
Three hours after his presser with the Italian president, Trump met with Democratic leaders, Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader.
It didn't go well.
Trump tweeted out the photo above with the caption, "Nervous Nancy."
And he wrote in a later tweet: "Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! There is either something wrong with her 'upstairs,' or she just plain doesn’t like our great Country. She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person!"
According to Pelosi, she was asking Trump tough questions about Russia.
Speaking to reporters afterward, she said, “The Russians were the beneficiaries of any withholding of assistance or encouragement to the Ukraine. Again, Putin benefits.
"The Russians benefited, Putin did, when the president placed some doubt about our commitment to NATO, right from the start of his administration. All roads seem to lead to Putin.
"Then, the president said, ‘Well, the reason I’m taking the troops out of Syria is because I promised in the campaign to bring the troops home.’
"My question to him is, is Saudi Arabia home? Is Saudi Arabia home?
"He said ‘Well, the Saudi Arabians are paying for it.’
"Really, we’re putting our troops in harm’s way for Saudi Arabia because they’re paying for it?
"What it did do was cause a meltdown on the part of the president because he was unhappy with those questions.”
Critics of the president noted that the image showed a woman standing up to a room of white men.
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times took issue with this analysis on Twitter:
"I get what’s being said/attempted here, but it’s always interesting to me how white women un-race white women while racing white men — as if white women don’t experience both gender discrimination and racial privilege at the same time."
"Do you think they like me?"
And with that, the Dems left the room. Trump then tweeted this photo from the meeting:
Letter to Turkey: "Don't be a fool!"
On the same day, a letter that Trump wrote to the Turkish president, on Oct. 9, was leaked to the press.
"Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!" Trump wrote. "I will call you later."
Trump had ordered American troops to withdraw from northeastern Syria three days before he wrote this letter. American soldiers had been there supporting Kurdish allies.
On the day Trump wrote this letter, Turkish air strikes began.
In an NPR interview, a senior advisor to the Turkish president said the letter was not taken seriously, "especially given its lack of diplomatic finesse."
Then on to Texas:
On Thursday, Trump flew to Texas, where he toured the Louis Vuitton Workshop. On the airstrip, he held up this banner:
On the flight, Rick Perry, resigning:
Rick Perry (energy secretary, 12th place Dancing With The Stars contestant, presidential candidate — remember "Oops"?) submitted his intention to resign on Thursday.
Perry had recently emerged as a central figure in the impeachment inquiry of Trump. According to NPR:
"Perry was part of what was dubbed 'the three amigos' — in addition to Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, and Kurt Volker, former envoy to Ukraine — charged with managing the U.S.-Ukraine relationship."
A rally in Dallas before returning to D.C.
Trump stopped in Dallas for a mega rally. "Trump's Tweets Matter" is a dog whistle reference to the movement "Black Lives Matter" and hints at the appeal of Trump's racist messaging.
TGIF with a flurry of tweets, including this one:
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Isolde Raftery
Interim Managing Editor
Isolde Raftery has been the Interim Managing Editor KUOW since 2024. Previously, she was the station's Online Managing Editor.
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Juan Pablo Chiquiza
Social Media Strategist
Juan Pablo handles social media content, planning and scheduling at KUOW. He edits and manages a variety of original KUOW social content, including video. In fact, Juan is behind the station's pivot to video. As KUOW's live shows shifted online streaming during the pandemic, KUOW became a leader and guide for NPR as well as many NPR member stations. Juan also serves as the station's second-in-command photographer and reliably jumps into any situation with his expert skills, from breaking news events such as protests to live KUOW events such as Year in Review, podcast live events, and Town Hall meetings.
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