- There was a visible imbalance in representation as President Donald Trump met with senior advisors in the Situation Room following the Iranian missile strikes - only one woman was among them, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
- The White House released a photo of the Situation Room the night following the missile strikes on US and coalition forces in Iraq on Tuesday.
- People were quick to notice the lack of diversity in the room, with multiple comments pointing out the gender disparity on a photo posted by CBS's Norah O'Donnell.
- The photo echos the same lack of women at the table in another photo from the White House, in which Trump accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of having a meltdown as she stands with a finger pointed at the president.
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There was a visible imbalance in representation as President Donald Trump met with senior advisors in the Situation Room following Iranian missile strikes: there were more people named "Mark" and "Mike" in the room than women at the table.
The White House released a photo of the Situation Room, following the missile strikes on US and coalition forces at two Iraqi military bases Iraq. Iran took responsibility for the ballistic missile strikes, which the Pentagon confirmed, as a response to a US airstrike that killed an Iranian top general Qassem Soleimani. No causalities were recorded in the attack.
A number of officials joined the president, namely Vice President Mike Pence, State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milly, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Among them, only one woman made a physical appearance at the table: White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. CIA Director Gina Haspel joined remotely, according to Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs.
People were quick to notice the lack of diversity in the room, with multiple comments pointing out the gender disparity on a photo posted by CBS's Norah O'Donnell.
The photo echos the lack of women at the table in another photo from the White House, in which Trump accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of having a meltdown as she stands with a finger pointed at the president.
The House Speaker and Rep. Liz Cheney were the only women at the table.
The Situation Room photo also recalled other government meetings where women weren't present, including when an all-men Senate working group in 2017 discussed a healthcare bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
- Read more:
- Mystery airstrike reportedly kills Iran-backed militia members in Baghdad just one day after US killed a top Iranian general
- Satellite images show base damage after Iran launched a missile attack on US and coalition forces in Iraq
- Trump says Iran 'appears to be standing down' and orders more sanctions after the missile attack in Iraq
- US officials reportedly think Iran may have been shooting to miss as missile attack in Iraq leaves no casualties
WH releases photo of advisers around table with Trump last night in Situation Room for Iran attack.
Mike Pence
Mike Pompeo
Steve Mnuchin
Mark Milley
Mick Mulvaney
Mark Esper
Robert O'Brien
Joseph Maguire
Stephanie Grisham
Pat Cipollone
Keith Kellogg
Rob Blair
Marc Short pic.twitter.com/8Mij05BVi8
- Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) January 8, 2020