A startling photograph of Donald Trump, the Egyptian president and Saudi king placing their hands on a glowing orb at a summit in Riyadh has prompted comparisons between the US president and villains from comic books and film.
Trump, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Abdel Fatah al-Sisi were pictured standing with their hands on the miniature globe at the opening event for the new Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology on Sunday. The US president is in the Gulf kingdom on his first state tour.
Look if Trump is going to take down the Illuminati he's obviously going to have to do it from the inside pic.twitter.com/58Rnd2I20P
— The Cosmic Brain (@samthielman) May 21, 2017
@sarahjeong another view of orb pic.twitter.com/Rt4tMQIVHA
— Kathryn (@the_castle_gate) May 22, 2017
The complex is billed as Saudi Arabia’s headquarters for countering extremists’ messaging, with more than 200 data analysts working to monitor and analyse their online activity in real time.
Local media reported that the leaders’ placing their hands on the globe “officially activated the centre and launched a splashy welcome video”.
But, in an ironic twist, the image of the inauguration swiftly drew comparisons to Hydra, the villainous organisation bent on world domination of the Marvel universe.
"Everyone grab on to the cosmic sphere. It's much better than a cosmic cube...believe me!" (HT @PresVillain) #HailHydra pic.twitter.com/7jKLQIdXRt
— Ben Gross (@bhgross144) May 21, 2017
tfw you and your friends unearth an ancient alien hell orb and combine your powers inside it to stop superman >>>>> pic.twitter.com/kzsYEKC4R0
— jon hendren (@fart) May 21, 2017
This is not the first time comparisons have been drawn between the Trump administration and Hydra. The Hollywood Reporter reported that, since April, Hail-Hydra.com has inexplicably redirected to the president’s profile page on the White House website.
As #orb trended on Twitter there were various discussions on it being a force for good or evil.
A lot of people say the Orb is evil. Stupid! I will negotiate with the Orb, make it work for us. Good deal for everyone!!! Hail the Orb. pic.twitter.com/vmN12iTulB
— Matt Roller (@rolldiggity) May 21, 2017
One #orb to find them.
— NopeSec (@NeuralCulture) May 21, 2017
One orb to rule them all and in the darkness bind them. pic.twitter.com/tsFYX3pzm1
I am gone from Twitter for like a few hours, and now Trump is a holding a Palantír! WHAT ELSE HAVE I MISSED?! IS BANNON A WRAITH NOW?! #ORB pic.twitter.com/uZ4xthYIvm
— chrisError (@chrisError) May 21, 2017
Allison DeJong shared a selection of cards from the immensely popular trading card game, Magic: The Gathering: the “Chaos orb”, “Mesmeric orb” and “Zuran orb” (“Sacrifice a land: You gain 2 life”).
“There are many kinds of #orb, are we sure we know which one we’re dealing with here,” she tweeted, to the response of “NEERRRRRRRRRD!”
There are many kinds of #orb, are we sure we know which one we're dealing with here pic.twitter.com/pXB7LyFwQ3
— Allison DeJong (@allison_dejong) May 21, 2017
Another Twitter user drew a parallel to a Star Trek episode first broadcast in 1968, in which Captain Kirk’s body is controlled by telepathic aliens stored in metal orbs.
I hate to be in the position of defending the man, but, you know, this whole #orb thing could have been much worse... pic.twitter.com/wa7zYnAn1y
— Paul Melancon (@PaulMelancon) May 21, 2017
Even Breitbart News seemed to convey disbelief at the image, sharing it on Twitter alongside a still of George Lucas’ response to criticism of his Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace: “I may have gone too far in a few places.”
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 21, 2017
Others were more optimistic.
@cd_hooks it's totally the Orb of Peace from the end of The Phantom Menace pic.twitter.com/KuBEIfKWdY
— Will T (@historicus91) May 21, 2017
Even the Church of Satan felt obliged to disassociate itself from the moment:
For clarification, this is not a Satanic ritual. pic.twitter.com/CccP39fqN4
— The Church Of Satan (@ChurchofSatan) May 22, 2017
Saudi Arabia was the first stop on Trump’s first foreign tour as US president, which will take in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Italy and Belgium.
Everyone freaking out, it's a GLOBE
— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) May 21, 2017
You can see the continents
Just a conclave of powerful men laying hands on a fiery globe
This is normal pic.twitter.com/FEo4auHVfm
Who is in Trump's entourage?
Trump was joined by his full entourage on his first overseas trip as president. His innermost circle comprises his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, who is the president's closest foreign policy advisor. Just outside that circle is Hope Hicks, a former spokeswoman who has become a constant presence at Trump's side. Then there are the competing White House barons: chief ideologue Steve Bannon, chief of staff Reince Priebus, and national security adviser HR McMaster. Preibus and Bannon returned to Washington after the tour's first stop, in Saudi Arabia.
Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state – and only cabinet secretary on the tour – and the outgoing acting assistant secretary of state, Stuart Jones, rank next in terms of access and influence. The next ring comprises Gary Cohn, the president's economic advisor; Dina Powell, the deputy national security advisor, who is Egyptian-born and speaks Arabic; Stephen Miller, a nationalist anti-immigration policy advisor; and Sean Spicer, the White House spokesman. Spicer's deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is also present, as is the spokesman for the national security council, Michael Anton. It is not clear is how many national security council experts have been brought along.
