White House screens Finding Dory while protests rage outside
Finding Dory, the long-awaited sequel to Pixar's Finding Nemo, enjoyed rave reviews and the highest-grossing animated film opening ever recorded when it opened last summer. The family film picks up with forgetful Blue Tang fish Dory, who, due to her short-term memory loss, has not only lost her parents, but forgotten most of what she knew about them. Over the course of the next 97 minutes, Dory makes friends with creatures from different backgrounds to make her way back home across the ocean.
This was the film that Donald Trump chose for his first White House screening as US president. While the aquatic adventure entertained Trump's guests, thousands of green card holders, visa holders and pre-approved refugees from seven countries in the Middle East and Africa were kept at airports and taken off flights internationally, after his executive order on Friday afternoon.
The order inspired thousands to gather and protest in a park across from the White House on Sunday afternoon.
As Albert Brooks, who voiced Nemo's worrisome father Marlin in the film, posted on Twitter, the choice of film was an unfortunate one given the circumstances:
Odd that Trump is watching Finding Dory today, a movie about reuniting with family when he's preventing it in real life.
— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) January 29, 2017
His co-star Ellen Degeneres, who voiced Dory in both films, tweeted in response to Trump's Muslim ban minutes after the screening starting, although she didn't make any reference to Trump's choice of movie:
For me, America is great because of all the people who came here. Not in spite of them. #NoBan
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 29, 2017
P.S. My grandparents were immigrants. The woman making us pizza right now is Muslim. And I'm grateful for all of them. #NoBan
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) January 29, 2017
They weren't alone in noticing the irony of the White House screening taking place amidst the international turmoil Trump's Muslim ban had caused. Star Trek star George Takei was among them:
As Muslim Ban protests erupt nationwide and outside White House, Trump holds private screening of "Finding Dory." Not joking.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 29, 2017
"Mr trump there are mass protests going on rn"
"Idc im watching finding dory"
"But...sir...its getting bad"
"WRONG Just keep swimming OK"— RyansAverageLife (@RyanAbe) January 29, 2017
Trump is screening "Finding Dory" today: the story of a foreigner entering the U.S. without authorization to reunite with her parents #Ironypic.twitter.com/FKU7ItiPod
— Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) January 29, 2017
At 3pm, Trump is hosting a screening of Finding Dory, a movie about what happens when you're separated from your family.
Let that sink in.— Alex Zalben (@azalben) January 29, 2017
Sean Spicer, Trump's Press Secretary, also took to Twitter to explain that the president wasn't watching Pixar's latest film, but went "right back to work" after thanking "spouses and children of White House staff".
Actually he spent 60 seconds welcoming & thanking spouses & children of WH staff then right back to work: up next 7pm call w South Korea https://t.co/opr1NVRZsj
— Sean Spicer (@PressSec) January 29, 2017
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