Subject: The Presidential SaluteI just saw the PEOTUS return a salute of a Marine at some concert at the Lincoln Memorial (Not sure why the Marine was saluting Trump, yet). I was surprised to see Trump salute back. Looking into it a little further, I was correct in my belief that POTUS really shouldn't be saluting back as the civilian Commander and Chief. In fact, President Eisenhower didn't return salutes as POTUS. Apparently, it was President Reagan who started the trend that has been followed by every President since. As a former officer, Reagan knew he was not supposed to return the salute, but realized it was about the only way to get the saluting military person to drop their salute. Either way, IMHO any saluting done to or from Trump shouldn't start until he takes the oath tomorrow. |