Enjoy This Excruciating Clip of Trump Brushing Off “Dandruff” From Macron’s Suit

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Clara Jeffery,
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"You guys were one of the outlets who got singled out to balance the ledger": That's what a former Facebook employee told Monika Bauerlein and me as we dug into recent news that the platform was throttling traffic to certain publishers, including Mother Jones. It's enraging for several reasons, and since it happened during our fall fundraising drive and affects our bottom line, we hope the Mother Jones community will stand up for our fearless journalism and send a message with a donation to support it today.

"You guys were one of the outlets who got singled out to balance the ledger": That's what a former Facebook employee said as we dug into recent news that the platform was throttling traffic to certain publishers, including Mother Jones. It's enraging, and since it happened during our fall fundraising drive, we hope the Mother Jones community will stand up for our fearless journalism and send a message with a donation to support it today.

While welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron to the Oval Office Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump warmly discussed the “special relationship” the two world leaders share, even praising news outlets he typically bashes as “fake news” for correctly describing their friendship in recent reports.

He then demonstrated just how uniquely close their bond is by proceeding to flick a piece of dandruff from Macron’s shoulder. Leaving no room for speculation over the bold move—Trump explained his action in front of dozens of reporters on live television. “We do have a very special relationship,” the president said. “In fact, I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off.” He then added, “We have to make him perfect. He is perfect.”

The painful moment below, followed by a useful reminder from my colleague that sometimes art can’t compete with the absurdity that is the Trump administration: