President Donald Trump likes to live in the lap of luxury, and he's not going to let presidential tasks like launching 59 Tomahawk missiles into Syria disrupt the decadent lifestyle to which he's become accustomed. In a new interview with Fox Business, Trump described the Palm Beach scene from which he authorized the airstrike last week and it featured what sounds like a delightful dessert with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump remembers details of cake he was eating while launching missiles, but not which country he was attacking. pic.twitter.com/TYfqXXDeCZ
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 12, 2017
Trump is smitten by the piece of cake, but misremembers which country he attacked.
On the cake: "I was sitting at the table. We had finished dinner and we were now having dessert. We had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen. President Xi was enjoying it."
On the attack: "I say, 'We've just launched 59 missiles, heading to Iraq.'"
Trump didn't realize his mistake until Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo corrected him. "Yes, heading toward Syria," Trump replied.
Related: Trump: U.S. isn't starting a new war in Syria against Assad
Trump said he needed to tell Xi of the attack as they were dining because Xi was about to go home after "a full day in Palm Beach," and Trump didn't want him to learn the news when he got back to China. Understandable.
"He paused for 10 seconds," Trump said in describing Xi's reaction. "Then he asked the interpreter to please say it again. I didn't think that was a good sign. He said to me, 'Anybody that uses gases to do that to young children and babies, it's OK. He was OK with it. He was OK.'"
The chocolate cake marked the end of a visit that saw the world leaders discuss trade between the two nations, as well as the escalating tension surrounding North Korea. "We made tremendous progress in our relationship with China," Trump said after Xi left. "The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding. We look forward to meeting together many times in the future."
Never underestimate the diplomatic power of a "beautiful" piece of chocolate cake.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Ryan Bort is a staff writer covering culture for Newsweek. Previously, he was a freelance writer and editor, and his ... Read more
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