President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he was in good hands, judging by the appearance of the security personnel who responded to gunfire near the White House Correspondents Dinner the previous night.
In an interview with Norah O'Donnell of 60 Minutes, Trump noted the handsomeness of the officers who rushed into the Washington Hilton ballroom to protect him and other attendees after suspect Cole Allen fired shots nearby.
"I also saw a lot of very strong, physically strong, really attractive law enforcement people come through those doors, and frankly it made me feel very safe, very, very safe—there was nobody gonna get by them," Trump said.
Focus on Appearance Raises Eyebrows
While the president's praise appeared genuine, his emphasis on the physical attractiveness of the security detail during a stressful moment struck some observers as peculiar. Others saw it as consistent with his public persona.
Trump's history of vanity and derogatory comments about women's appearance is well-documented. However, as The New York Times recently noted, he has also "normalized talking about and critiquing men's looks, ushering in a new era of fawning assessments and regular commentary about the appearance of his cabinet members and others."
Previous Comments on Law Enforcement
This is not the first time Trump has commented on the physique of law enforcement personnel. In March, he praised Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deployed to airports, saying: "They just happen to have much larger, and harder, muscles than most—which is what they're supposed to have."
Trump's remarks have sparked discussion about the appropriateness of focusing on appearance in security contexts, though supporters argue he was simply expressing gratitude for their service.
