While world leaders marked the centenary of the end of WWI, the gravity of the occasion proved too much for some, as the king of Morocco was filmed dozing off during the ceremony, seemingly irking the US president in the process.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco fell asleep during French President Emmanuel Macron’s Armistice Day speech in Paris. The king was seated directly beside US First Lady Melania Trump, who maintained her poise and ignored the regent’s wheezing, which is more than can be said for her husband US President Donald Trump, who can be seen glaring at the Moroccan monarch.
Macron’s apparently soporific speech was seen by many as a direct, verbal swipe at his US counterpart as he used the monologue to decry nationalism. Trump had been seated between Macron and the Moroccan king at a working lunch at the Elysee Palace earlier in the day.
“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” the French leader said.
Trump was visibly nonplussed, offering only muted applause, though this paled in comparison to the Moroccan king’s drowsy disdain for the proceedings.
However, Trump did not appear to have his translation earpiece in during Macron’s remarks, so was most likely completely unaware of what was being said; though he was at least slightly more aware of his surroundings than the snoozing Moroccan sovereign.
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