Having to actually state that he, the President of the United States, is not a Russian operative has clearly had no affect on Donald Trump's appetite, or his fondness for calorie-heavy junk food.
With White House residence staff among those hit by the US government shutdown, Trump personally ordered in an "all-American" feast of burgers and pizza on Monday for a visiting football team, apparently because he knows as much about hosting a banquet as he does about the concpt of marital fidelity (allegedly).
"Because of the shutdown, as you know... we went out and we ordered American fast food paid for by me," said Trump, on the eve of hosting the Clemson Tigers university players, who had been invited to the presidential residence to celebrate their national championship win.
Cameras clicked and whirred (or whatever it is that modern digital recorders do) in the banquet hall, which saw candle-lit tables, lavishly accoutred with fine linens, gilted cutlery and ostentatious platters, all piled high with burgers wrapped in paper or nestled in take-out containers (apparently the White House packet-opening guy is also on furlough) as well as thermocol and plastic containers filled with doughy pizza, fried chicken and other artery-clogging junk foods, which is what every athlete needs, of course. Looming large over the spread, like the benefactor on a budget he was for the evening, was the 45th President of the United States, boasting about the 300 burgers that were growing cold and rubbery on the china platters.
The last few days have been especially vexing for the sentient Cheeto currently occupying the Oval Office, what with the government shutdown (now the longest in US history), his fevered imaginings of "bad dudes" flooding across the Mexican border, and the far more realistic Mueller investigation which is closing in on Trump and his inner circle's alleged dealings with Russian state players. Perhaps that's why he decided to go all American with his menu choices for the celebratory dinner. Or perhaps it's just because he's a cheapskate.
In any case, like so many of the others in his life, this scheme also spectacularly backfired and while The Donald's guests were being forced to cram congealing MdDonald's down their throats, Twitter was spewing out fresh jokes at the Orange Menace's hosting skills.
Here's a brief sampling: