Wilbur Ross calls Syrian missile strike Mar-a-Lago's 'after-dinner entertainment'

Wilbur Ross.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross made light of the U.S. missile strike against Syria last month, telling an audience at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday that the assault, which took place during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to President Trump's private Mar-a-Lago resort, served as late-night amusement for guests, free of charge.

"Just as dessert was being served, the president explained to Mr. Xi he had something he wanted to tell him, which was the launching of 59 missiles into Syria," Ross said. "It was in lieu of after-dinner entertainment." This garnered laughs from the crowd, Variety reports, and Ross continued: "The thing was, it didn't cost the president anything to have that entertainment." Ross is right — Trump didn't spend a dime on the missiles, but the U.S. military did, to the tune of around $59 million. Don't expect Ross, a billionaire investor, to have his own set at the Chuckle Hut anytime soon.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.