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Ex-Obama Adviser Trashes Trump over Weather

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The White House cited inclement weather in part for President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a planned trip to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial during his visit to France this week.

The president and first lady Melania Trump were scheduled to take part in a service with other world leaders.

Instead, a White House statement citing “scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather” indicated that Chief of Staff John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford would attend the memorial in Trump’s stead.

Other leaders, including French President Emanuel Macron and Canada’s Justin Trudeau, tweeted from the location during their visit to the cemetery Saturday.

Among the scheduled events were a moment of silence and a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of more than 2,000 Americans killed in the region during World War I.

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News of the U.S. president’s absence brought disapproval from his critics abroad and at home, including Ben Rhodes, a senior aide to President Barack Obama and outspoken Trump detractor.

In response to the White House’s cancellation, Rhodes claimed that Trump’s predecessor would have made sure his team had a plan for bad weather.

Rhodes’ tweet followed a post by David Frum, a political commentator and author of “Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic.”

“Two words: contingency plans,” Frum wrote. “Previous White Houses made them.”

Rhodes agreed, citing his experience in helping “plan all of President Obama’s trips for 8 years” as proof.

“There is always a rain option,” he wrote. “Always.”

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Rhodes also shared Trudeau’s tweet in another apparent swipe at Trump, saying, “This is what an actual leader does.”

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The former Obama adviser continued to attack the president, tweeting a few hours later, “In addition to our veterans, it’s a remarkable insult to our allies who lost so many millions of people for Trump to fly all the way to Europe to sit in a hotel room.”

Rhodes is known by many for helping to sell Obama’s Iran nuclear deal to the American public and admitting he misled reporters to do so.

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Chris Agee is an American journalist with more than 15 years of experience in a wide range of newsrooms.
Chris Agee is an American journalist with more than 15 years of experience in a variety of newsroom settings. After covering crime and other beats for newspapers and radio stations across the U.S., he served as managing editor at Western Journalism until 2017. He has also been a regular guest and guest host on several syndicated radio programs. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife and son.
Birthplace
Virginia
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Texas Press Association, Best News Writing - 2012
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism - Averett University
Professional Memberships
Online News Association
Location
Arizona
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment




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