A photo has been circling Twitter today that has provided no shortage of entertainment for the sci-fi inclined: President Donald Trump standing around a glowing orb, with his hand placed on it like he’s about to cast a powerful and mysterious spell.
Of course, there is an explanation for the photograph — but honestly, it just makes it less fun. (If you must know, the actual sequence of events is at the bottom of the article; scroll down.) Without knowing any background, the orb looks like it might be an enchanted magic 8 ball, a sorceress’ crystal ball, an enchanted entrance into an ethereal realm; the options are endless.
Here is a compilation of the best Twitter reactions to the ominous photo, from The Lord of the Rings references to the orb reimagined as a new political power.
The actual explanation for the ~glowing orb~ is that Trump, King Salman and al-Sissi were gathered together at the opening of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, placing their hands on the globe in a move of solidarity for the center’s launch.