Donald Trump and that weird glowing orb, explained
Why did President Trump place his hands on a glowing orb?
The centerpiece to the president’s trip to Saudi Arabia, which was the first stop on an overseas trip that also includes Israel, Italy and Belgium, was a speech about extremist ideology to leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries.
But back home, it seems the only thing people wanted to talk about was a picture of Trump with his hands covering a glowing orb.
EPA/SAUDI PRESS AGENCY
A handout photo made available by the Saudi Press Agency shows President Trump and first lady Melania Trump alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (left) and King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The photo quickly went viral Sunday night, drawing comparisons to everything from the villainous Marvel comics organization Hydra to the one of the seven seeing-stones from the Lord of the Rings.
Even Breitbart, the conservative news website founded by White House advisor Steve Bannon, seemed confused by the image, sharing it on Twitter alongside filmmaker George Lucas and his misgivings about The Phantom Menace, his ill-conceived Star Wars prequel.
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 21, 2017
The truth is much more benign. The widely shared photo was part of a ceremony celebrating the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh.
Trump said the opening of the new center "represents a clear declaration that Muslim-majority countries must take the lead in combatting radicalization."
The complex is designed to be Saudi Arabia’s headquarters for fighting extremists, with more than 200 data analysts working to monitor and counter messaging and online activity from groups like ISIS.
Military force alone is not the answer because "we know these groups can only be defeated if we defeat their ideology," said Mohammed al-Issa, secretary-general of the Saudi-based Muslim World League.
The United States and Saudi Arabia also signed a joint declaration over the weekend calling for the creation of a special task force to coordinate new efforts to combat extremist groups, as well as a new weapons deal worth $350 billion over 10 years.
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