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Trump Watches Eclipse From White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump squinted and pointed skyward before donning protective glasses to take in the solar eclipse at the White House.

The president was joined by wife Melania, son Barron and top aides Monday afternoon to view the spectacle from the portico overlooking the South Lawn. The White House originally said Trump would watch from the second-floor Truman balcony.

Great American Eclipse
US President Donald Trump looks up a the partial solar eclipse with First Lady Melania Trump from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2017. (credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
US-SOLAR-ECLIPSE-ASTRONOMY
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look up at the solar eclipse from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2017. (credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Shortly after walking outside, the president looked up at the sky, squinted and pointed upward.

"Don't look," one staffer yelled from the White House lawn.

President Trump Views The Eclipse From The White House
U.S.President Donald Trump puts on special glasses to look at the Solar Eclipse on the Truman Balcony at the White House on August 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Trump then donned the protective eyewear. Asked about the view, Trump gave a thumbs up.

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This is the first total solar eclipse to sweep the United States from coast to coast in nearly a century, although Washington experienced about 80 percent coverage of the sun.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 

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