Trump plays golf after cancelling trip to Poland to observe Second World War anniversary

US president Donald Trump is under fire after finding time to play golf after he cancelled his trip to Poland to observe commemorative services remembering the onset of the Second World War.

President Trump was initially understood to be abandoning his visit to Europe in order to monitor the federal response to Hurricane Dorian as it approaches the southeastern coast of the US, but instead he flew from the presidential retreat of Camp David in Maryland to the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, on Saturday.

The decision to play 18 holes marks the 226th day Mr Trump has done so since entering the Oval Office, a habit that has attracted persistent criticism over the cost incurred by taxpayers.

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White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham insisted he received hourly updates on the tropical storm zeroing in on Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as he progressed around the course: “He has someone travelling with him to specifically brief him on an hourly basis.”

The president has since tweeted that he has been briefed about the latest mass shooting in Odessa, Texas, by attorney general William Barr and is expected to attend a meeting on Dorian at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters back in Washington, DC.

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The riots broke out, with a local parliament building being torched, as thousands protested allegations that police tear-gassed and arrested students who supported the restive region's independence. AFP/Getty 15/50 18 August 2019 People survey the destruction after an overnight suicide bomb explosion that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 63 people, mostly wedding guests from the Shi'ite Muslim community, were killed and more than 180 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding hall. EPA 16/50 17 August 2019 A man retrieves his prize after climbing up a greased pole during a competition held as part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta. Indonesia is celebrating its 74th anniversary of independence from the Dutch colonial rule. AP 17/50 16 August 2019 Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th "Jeux du Castrum", a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland. 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The volcano expert said: "The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual." Martin Reitze/SWNS 21/50 12 August 2019 People swim in a public bath pool in Zalakaros, Hungary. Some regions of the country have been issued the highest grade of warning by the National Meteorological Service as the temperatures may reach 33-38 centigrade. EPA 22/50 11 August 2019 A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 23/50 10 August 2019 Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. AP 24/50 9 August 2019 Waves hit a sea wall in front of buildings in Taizhou, China's eastern Zhejiang province. China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall. AFP/Getty 25/50 8 August 2019 A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. EPA 26/50 7 August 2019 Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. Reuters 27/50 6 August 2019 Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum. AFP/Getty 28/50 5 August 2019 Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main's station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security. AFP/Getty 29/50 4 August 2019 Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius. Reuters 30/50 3 August 2019 Pramac Racing's rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The race will take place on 4 August. EPA 31/50 2 August 2019 An extremely rare Pink Meanie jellyfish on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The Pink Meanie was discovered during a nightlight jellyfish dive by the collections team in the waters around Robben Island and in Cape Town Harbour. Pink Meanies are jellyvorous, meaning they feed on other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles. Discovering the Pink Meanie in its early ephyra stage meant the team could study its growth rate which turned out to be very quick as it grew to the metaephyra stage in about a week and a half. The Mexican pink meanie (Drymonema larsoni) was only discovered in the year 2000. A Mediterranean relative, known as the Big Pink Jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatinum) has been known to science since the 1800s but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting. These jellies are incredibly rare and this new South African species is no exception. EPA 32/50 1 August 2019 Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City. AFP/Getty 33/50 31 July 2019 A woman rows a boat through the lotus plants on the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The lake is a popular tourist destination because of its floating gardens and lotus flowers. EPA 34/50 30 July 2019 An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal. Reuters 35/50 29 July 2019 Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Ballons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France. Reuters 36/50 28 July 2019 Anti-extradition bill protesters with umbrellas attend a rally against the police brutality in Hong Kong. EPA 37/50 27 July 2019 A general view of stalls closed following yesterday's volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia. Reuters 38/50 26 July 2019 Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 39/50 25 July 2019 The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire. AFP/Getty 40/50 24 July 2019 Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election. Reuters 41/50 23 July 2019 People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 42/50 22 July 2019 Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila. AFP/Getty 43/50 21 July 2019 Protesters run from tear gas, fired by police, after a march against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. The masked protesters covered the walls of China's office in Hong Kong with eggs and graffiti following another massive rally. AFP/Getty 44/50 20 July 2019 Fans line the streets of Algiers to see the national Algerian football team take part in an open-top bus parade following their victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. They were celebrating their second Cup of Nations win, 29 years after their first triumph in 1990. AFP/Getty 45/50 19 July 2019 The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission is celebrated in a 17-minute show, "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" which combined full-motion projection-mapping artwork on the Washington Monument and archival footage to recreate the launch of Apollo 11. Nasa/AP 46/50 18 July 2019 A pupil from Northlen Primary school sticks a poster of former president Nelson Mandela on a chalkboard, as they mark his birthday in Durban. July 18, marks 101 years since the birth of Mandela in 1918. AFP/Getty 47/50 17 July 2019 Firefighters rush to the scene to put out a fire that spread to parked cars in Jerusalem, following an extreme heat wave. AFP/Getty Images 48/50 16 July 2019 Rescuers work at the site of collapsed building in Dongri area of Mumbai, India. EPA 49/50 15 July 2019 A motorist drives past a destroyed house after a large earthquake that hit Surigao City, in the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines. AFP/Getty Images 50/50 14 July 2019 French Gendarmes remove fences next to a burning portable toilet during clashes with protesters on the Champs Elysees avenue after the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France. Reuters

In Poland, the country’s president Andrzej Duda was joined by his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to open day-long observances of the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany‘s invasion of the Central European nation in 1939 with a ceremony intended to reflect a spirit of reconciliation.

​Poland would remain under German occupation for more than five years and lost around six million citizens in the conflict. Today, Germany is one of Poland’s closest EU trading partners.

The memorial was held in Wielun, a central Polish town that was the first target of the Nazi’s deadly bombings, with observances starting at 4.40am, the exact hour that the war’s first bombs fell. The presidents, local officials and residents, among them survivors of the bombings, observed a minute’s silence in memory of that first attack’s estimated 2,000 victims.

Speaking in German and Polish, Mr Steinmeier asked for forgiveness on behalf of Berlin.

“I bow my head before the victims of the attack in Wielun, I bow my head before the Polish victims of German tyranny and I ask forgiveness,” he said. “We are deeply grateful for Poland’s hand extended in a gesture of forgiveness.”

“As the president of Germany I want to assure you that we will not forget, we will always remember about this, we want to remember and we are taking this responsibility that our history has imposed on us,” he continued.

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Mr Duda thanked Mr Steinmeier for attending and said it was a form of giving “moral satisfaction.”

“Mr President, thank you for your presence and your attitude,” Mr Duda said. “I can see a man who has come with humility, a bowed head in order to pay homage... to share the pain.”

“Do you, gathered here, think it is easy to come to the town that has been destroyed by the Germans? To look in the eyes of those who have survived?” Mr Duda asked of those attending.

Minutes later, Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and EU senior official Frans Timmermans led observances at Westerplatte Peninsula on the Baltic coast, the site of the war’s first battle as Polish troops put up resistance.

Unlike the commander-in-chief, US vice president Mike Pence was in attendance, as was German chancellor Angela Merkel, with many other world leaders expected to attend the day’s main event in Warsaw.