US President Donald Trump seemed oblivious to any concern about North Korea launching a missile Saturday, February 11. The President didn't even acknowledge hearing the reporter's question, as he and wife Melania, and Japanese Prime Minister Abe and his wife posed for flashbulbs outside Mar-a-Lago before waging adieu for the evening.

One assumes that his body man with the nuclear football was in the vicinity, but if Trump had any knowledge of world events Saturday night, he was playing the Sphinx. It turns out that the President did have knowledge of North Korea's aggressive action, and he and Japan's Prime Minister did return for brief comments to the press later Saturday night. And a few hours earlier, the dinner table action inside the Winter White House was on full display.

On Tuesday, February 14, House oversight committee chairman Jason Chaffetz pressed White House officials for an explanation on why President Donald Trump discussed the missile test in a public dining room at Mar-a-Lago for all members to observe. Politico writes:

In a letter to White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, Chaffetz requested answers about security protocols at Mar-a-Lago; the details of potentially sensitive documents that Trump and his aides perused in the presence of diners and waitstaff; and whether any sensitive material was discussed in public. The Utah Republican is also seeking information about whether guests are vetted to "ensure that they are not foreign agents or spies on behalf of a foreign government."

Many Americans are reeling from Monday night's resignation of President Trump's National Security adviser Gen. Mike Flynn for lying about his conversations with the Russians. The media and Washington are divided on which is worse -- Flynn's lying about his contacts with Russians that coincided with then President Obama's imposition of sanctions against Russia for meddling in the US election -- or the leakers who made the lies public news. The plot thickened Tuesday evening, when the New York Times revealed that Trump aides and associates made repeated contacts with senior Russian officials during the 2016 campaign.

The Poor, Poor Trump Family: We Are All Soooooo Unfair To America's 'Exceptional First Family!

A now very familiar pattern has emerged with how President Trump deals with critical events. He sounds off on Twitter about how unfair the media is to him. The President makes truly outlandish claims that have no validity as facts. The #1 word we can all count on from one of the biggest bullies in America is the claim that he, members of his family, or members of his team are being treated unfairly.

On Wednesday February 15th, Trump took the podium with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as calls for a full investigation of Trump's dealings with the Russians escalate. The president used his podium to blame the media for Gen. Flynn's ouster, saying journalists are so unfair.

Trump's lack of respect among large swathes of the media eats him up alive. He simply cannot let go of a bone that he has already gnawed to death. The President seems particularly sensitive to any criticism of his daughter Ivanka. Any perceived slight dominates the President's focus, reminding us of the reality that he seems incapable of prioritizing diplomatic and security challenges if he's in a pique over a relative minor issue. They are equal in his rapid-fire mind.

A prime topic front and center in Trump's mind last Saturday wasn't his extended meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe but the continuation of his blistering Twitter attack on Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka's brand due to declining sales. One can't tell if the president was using the week-long story of major retailers dropping his daughter's brand as some kind of subterfuge to deflect conversation from more important problems and issues. Or does he truly believe that as president of America, he should use his bully pulpit to insist that retailers carry a nonprofitable brand?

Donald Trump prides himself on making sometimes cold-hearted, but always profitable business decisions that benefit him and his family. But in the case of his daughter, the president seems to believe in the more authoritarian way -- Russian style.

Trump Says Media "Abuses" His Daughter Ivanka

President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted that the media "abused" his daughter, Ivanka, likely in the aftermath of a decision by Nordstrom to drop her clothing label and an ensuing ethics controversy involving the president.

All women's rights activists like myself bristle at a cavalier use of the word "abuse". More importantly, given the brand's poor sales performance, the president's response is pathetic. It's 'socialist' to suggest that retailers should invest stockholder $$$ in brands that don't perform. Rest assured that Trump would not make such a decision in his own businesses.

"I am so proud of my daughter Ivanka. To be abused and treated so badly by the media, and to still hold her head so high, is truly wonderful!" Trump tweeted.

The president knows nothing about how women dress today, and it's rumored that he has a strong preference for women to wear skirts or dresses in his businesses and at the White House.

The Ivanka Trump brand of very structured dresses and pumps is totally off trend in a fashion industry dominated by sharp and sophisticated, casual athleisure looks. Ivanka may dress the part for her adoring father, but the President's fashion preferences for women fall on deaf ears in a more casual-dressing America. It's true that some women refused to buy Ivanka's clothes on principle, but probably more just don't dress like Ivanka Trump -- and especially young women who are following women like Beyonce, Taylor Swift or Rihanna.

Read our earlier analysis of President's Ivanka Trump's brand -- and Trump Inc.'s view of the American Presidency as the goose that laid the golden egg in AOC Women's News.