Trump trolled ahead of eclipse for staring directly at the sun

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Among everything else that happened in his four years in office, perhaps one of the most enduring images of Donald Trump’s presidency is of the then-president standing with the first lady on the terrace of the White House, staring directly into the sun during a solar eclipse. As he did so, one of the White House aides standing nearby shouted: “Don’t look!” The moment was immediately mocked on social media, and seven years later, as millions of Americans wait to see the sun covered by the moon from Texas to Maine, the former president is being trolled as a warning to remember to use appropriate eyewear. Nasa offers a handy guide to eye safety during eclipses that reads: “Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. “When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times.” Perhaps this time Mr Trump will pay closer attention.