Donald Trump has been known to work outside of the traditional boundaries of being the president. During his recent meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump tested those boundaries once again.
Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Over the weekend, news broke that North Korea had conducted a controversial missile test that only added to the strain between the country and its enemies. At the same time, Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe were together during a weekend meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the president's resort in West Palm Beach, Florida. In what took many by surprise, the two world leaders held an impromptu national security meeting, and did so surrounded by the public while eating dinner.
As reported by The Hill on February 13, the reaction from the people was stunning.
Trump conducts national security meeting in public during Mar-a-Lago dinner https://t.co/o0IDncLFLw pic.twitter.com/J3oHA0tNU8
— The Hill (@thehill) February 13, 2017
With Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe enjoying their dinner and drinks, they were quickly joined by advisors who helped work on a joint response over the aforementioned North Korean missile tests. The situation became even more curious, as advisors used the light from their cellphones to look at documents that were delivered as the night moved on. The Hill notes that if the advisors didn't use secured cell phones, it could lead to a national security concern due to Mar-a-Lago having a public internet that hackers could tap into.
That Mar-a-Lago member deleted his FB post with photos of Trump's team apparently reading North Korea docs by iPhone flashlight. Screenshot: pic.twitter.com/JSBukvlP0Z
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) February 13, 2017
CNN first broke the story, and elaborated that "guests gawked around them," while others snapped photos and posted them to various social media platforms.
Mar-a-Lago member Richard DeAgazio posted photos of the incident on his Facebook page, while writing, "HOLY MOLY!!," before going into further details of what happened. Not long after the post was made, it was quickly removed, but not before a screenshot was taken to keep it documented.
Moving forward
This isn't the first time that Donald Trump has pushed the boundaries of national security, and it's not likely to be the last.
Ever since he announced his campaign for president, the former host of "The Apprentice" vowed to be a "Washington outsider," and to run the country in a way that has never been seen before. Whether people agree or disagree with his tactics, Trump's presidency is turning out to be unlike any other in history.
