UPDATE: Aug. 21,phim 18 c?ng nh?t b?n 2017, 11:59 a.m. EDT Looks like someone told Trump the eclipse is a thing after all, with reports indicating that he will view the event from the Truman Balcony alongside the first lady. No word on whether they'll be sporting protective eyewear, however.
On Monday, a total solar eclipse will darken the skies across the U.S., from coast to coast, for the first time in 99 years.
With excitement about the event reaching a fever pitch (even brands are trying to join the celebration), it's possible that virtually everyone in the U.S. knows about the eclipse ahead of time. Well, everyone except President Donald Trump.
SEE ALSO: 20 questions you're too embarrassed to ask about the solar eclipseThere is ample justification for thinking that Trump may have no idea what's going on when the skies above the White House, dim, and the moon partially covers the sun on Monday afternoon.
First, despite being seven months in office, Trump has not yet appointed a White House science advisor, which contrasts with previous occupants of his office dating all the way back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He has also failed to fully staff the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where the science division reportedly has been reduced to a nearly empty suite of offices.
Despite being seven months in office, Trump has not yet appointed a White House science advisor
On top of that, many of Trump's administration's top scientific agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA, are currently operating without a politically-appointed chief, indicating the low priority Trump regards scientific research on everything from climate change to, well, predicting and observing solar eclipses.
Making matters worse, the agencies that have a leader in place have been pursuing stark anti-science agendas, such as clearing out nonpartisan scientific advisory boards at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and seeking drastic budget cuts.
Also, on the White House schedule on Monday there are no public events during the day -- just meetings with top advisors ahead of a planned national security speech to the nation at 9 p.m. eastern time. Former president Obama would surely have carved out time for a viewing with folks from NASA, and a celebration of science.
Not Trump. His public schedule does not reflect the eclipse at all.
The president's lack of scientific advisors is even more troubling considering: Donald Trump may be the least scientifically literate president in modern times. He has claimed global warming is a hoax, made comments tying vaccines to autism despite the complete lack of scientific evidence showing such a link, and has a bizarre view of exercise, thinking that the body has a finite amount of energy to expend in a lifetime.
And 2017's total solar eclipse is unlike the other eclipses the United States has experienced in recent history. While solar eclipses occur two to five times a year, the last time the U.S. experienced a total solar eclipse was in 1979, and then the totality phase of the eclipse was only visible to a small cluster of states in the Pacific Northwest. This year, however, the total solar eclipse will pass over a much larger number of states.
Given the rarity of this particular eclipse, coupled with the gap in Trump's scientific knowledge, it is worth asking: Will the president be aware of the eclipse when it happens, and will he be able to understand what is going on and process it in a healthy way?
Or will he blame his favorite scapegoats for this celestial event, the "fake" mainstream media, and launch panicked broadsides via Twitter? Or worse, will he lash out by attacking North Korea, out of fear that the moon is actually an incoming missile, or that Kim Jong-un has learned how to control the weather?
We can just imagine some of the tweets Trump might send later today:
First there would be denial:
"The sun has never shined brighter on America, no matter what the fake news media say."
Next he will go on the attack:
"We will unleash fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen if N. Korea doesn't turn the sun back on."
Followed by escalation:
"China was supposed to stop the blocking of the sun by N. Korea. They failed. We will go it alone, locked & loaded!"
And then this, after being told about the eclipse:
"Number of total solar eclipses in America under Obama: 0. Under Trump: 1. MAGA!"
Whether Trump is aware of it or not, the solar eclipse is definitely happening later on Aug. 21. Only time will tell if it catches Trump by surprise.
Where's Jeff Goldblum when you need him?
Via Giphy