Donald Trump assures gov is ‘totally prepared’ for Hurricane Florence — using posters and easels

By Matt Collins Article may include affiliate links

Donald Trump, in an oval office press event Tuesday, Sept. 11, assured Americans, in a decidedly low tech way, that the federal government is “totally prepared” for Hurricane Florence.

• Trump, seated at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, was backed with two printed maps on easels that he used as visual aides.
• The effect was something between a high school science fair or press briefing from the 1980s.

View this post on Instagram

President @realdonaldtrump, joined by @vp Pence and General Kelly, just spoke with FEMA regarding hurricane Florence.

A post shared by The White House (@whitehouse) on Sep 10, 2018 at 3:05pm PDT

• That same day, the White House posted a photo to Instagram of Trump, Mike Pence and Chief of Staff John Kelly, also in the oval office, on a conference call with FEMA with colored printed maps on the desk in front of them.
• The White House press briefing room, while more formal, has the option to have two large high resolution video panels installed on either side of the lectern — as Trump did when he display what were apparently edited photos of his inauguration crowd.
• It likely would have been possible to wheel in portable monitors or tablets to provide a more interactive experience.
• Trump also opted to use the panels for an odd video-only statement during a briefing in January 2018.

Trump inauguration crowd photos were edited after he intervened https://t.co/QkFdz6Y3g9 #BroadcastNews #TVNews pic.twitter.com/WaWoSsDBke

— TVNewsMix (@TVNewsMix) September 7, 2018