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It's time we faced an honest, perhaps unpleasant truth: All presidents look silly when they salute.

All. Presidents.

Public domain

Korea photo

Public domain

Korea photo

So let's not judge President Donald Trump too harshly for doing what apparently came naturally when a uniformed, covered North Korean officer saluted the U.S. president, as shown in the communist state-run media's video at the top of this post, 55 seconds in: He saluted back.

GIF by Brad Howard/Task & Purpose

Korea photo

Is it an international incident? Is the president of the United States kowtowing to tyrants?

Please. It's not like he joined a religious cabal of foreign oil oligarchs in a bizarre mystical ritual of alliance involving a glowing orb or something. Just be glad his salute is decent. His superfluous, uncovered, not-in-uniform-but-I-run-things-so-hey-let's-give-it-a-whirl, entirely presidential salute.

Related: Sorry, The Presidential Salute Isn’t A Real Thing »