Donald Trump's airplane was doused with water from two fire trucks at LaGuardia Airport on Thursday, an apparent display of affection or respect known as a "water salute." This ritual is performed from time to time in honor of an important person flying in a plane, a pilot retiring, an aircraft or ship being decommissioned, a once-great nation falling into the hands of a sociopathic megalomaniac, etc. (The Concorde got one after its final flight.)
According to a spokesperson from the Port Authority, water salutes have been done at Port Authority-administered airports before, including for President Obama. Trump was on his way to Washington D.C., where he is currently meeting with Obama in the Oval Office, a fact that is somehow not just part of a horrible dystopian nightmare, we think.
As Matt Novak over at Gizmodo pointed out, these salutes are supposed to be majestic displays in which jets of water soar over the craft being venerated, but in this case it looked a bit more like a big car wash. One of the water trucks just couldn't get it up for President-elect Trump.
On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a bulletin announcing temporary flight restrictions in the NYC area, effective immediately and running until January 21, 2017, the day after Inauguration Day.
