WASHINGTON – After seeing a photograph of migratory seabirds nesting on a rock, President Donald Trump vociferously claimed that “there were way more people at my inauguration on the National Mall than there were birds nesting on this rock. Way more. Way, way more.”
The birds in question are common murres, seabirds that gather every spring to nest on a rock in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon. Common murres, who are wild animals totally oblivious to anything happening in politics, use this rock as a safe place for nesting and raising chicks. Biologists estimate that up to 50,000 birds nest on the rock.
“Yes, I am sure there were more people at Trump’s inauguration than birds on this rock,” said a biologist who wished to remain anonymous “But I really don’t understand why that matters. At all.”
Common murres are incredible birds who have the ability to fly and swim, and will dive 250 feet under the water to search for food. The birds rest high on this particular rock for protection from predators. During a morning White House briefing, Trump seemed unable to stop focusing on the photograph of the rock, which previously was only important to a few nature lovers.
“When looking at the inauguration photo, one thing this shows is how far they go over here. Look. Look how far this is. This goes all the way down here. All the way down. You don’t see that in pictures,” Trump said when comparing the photos. “But when you look at this tremendous sea of love – I call it a sea of love. It’s really something special.”
“But look at these birds. They only fill this rock, and that rock is smaller than the National Mall, and it is surrounded by the sea. The sea of the ocean. I would rather have the sea of love, way more. Way, way more.”
Members of Congress have encouraged Trump to focus on other issues, since the number of people at his inauguration has absolutely nothing to do with migratory birds on a rock, or the fact that he was already elected, or more importantly, how he will run the country.
