--- title: Syria Airstrikes: Donald Trump and Other Officials in Photo description: The White House released a photo of the president and his national security team being briefed on the heels of the Syrian airstrike. canonical: https://time.com/4731088/syria-airstrikes-donald-trump-photo/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-04-07T16:46:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:27.469Z article:section: Politics og:title: White House Releases Photo of President Trump Getting Briefed on Syria Strike og:description: Here's who's in the photo. og:url: https://time.com/4731088/syria-airstrikes-donald-trump-photo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d5fc417fba095f2/6988c1e54e9ee73037a0a665/trump-syria-strike-national-security-sean-spicer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2048 og:image:height: 1152 og:image:alt: trump-syria-strike-national-security-sean-spicer og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: White House Releases Photo of President Trump Getting Briefed on Syria Strike twitter:description: Here's who's in the photo. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9d5fc417fba095f2/6988c1e54e9ee73037a0a665/trump-syria-strike-national-security-sean-spicer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # White House Releases Photo of President Trump Getting Briefed on Syria Strike > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: What to Know About the U.S. Missile Attack on Syria [Watch (HLS stream): What to Know About the U.S. Missile Attack on Syria](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ag8KRTse.m3u8) (1:18)  _Published 2017-04-07. The U.S. fired dozens of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase Thursday, the first direct assault by American forces against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Apr 7, 2017 4:46 PM UTC  An image released April 7, 2017, by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer that is said to show a national security briefing at President Trump at Mar-a-Lago after the U.S. launched missiles into Syria on April 6, 2017\. Spicer said on Twitter the photo was edited for security. An image released April 7, 2017, by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer that is said to show a national security briefing at President Trump at Mar-a-Lago after the U.S. launched missiles into Syria on April 6, 2017\. Spicer said on Twitter the photo was edited for security. The White House by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Apr 7, 2017 4:46 PM UTC White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer [tweeted](https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/850366059387510784) a photo of Trump Administration officials receiving a briefing on the heels of an airstrike the president ordered against a Syrian airfield on Thursday. [President Trump said](http://time.com/4730494/trump-syria-chemical-weapons-idlib-intervention/?xid=homepage) that the strike was in the “vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.” The strike was aimed at the airfield from which Syrian President Bashar al Assad is believed to have launched a [deadly chemical weapons attack on civilians](http://time.com/4729429/syria-chemical-attack-bashar-assad-turkey-sarin/). > [](https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/850362060407963650) In the photo, President Trump can be seen with members of his National Security team including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and National Security Advisor for Strategy Dina Powell. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Spicer, Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and chief strategist Steve Bannon are also in the photo as well as the president’s chief economic advisor Gary Cohn and senior policy advisor Stephen Miller. Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford tuned in via a secure video teleconference. > [](https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/850366059387510784) In a tweet, Spicer said the photo was taken at approximately 9:15p.m. on Thursday in a secure location at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The president is in West Palm Beach for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping. ## Transcript [ SOUND ] [ MUSIC ] Using a deadly nerve agent, Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, Women and children. 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