Jim, I think that wristwatch says more about the ambassador than you think. First of all, he’s wearing a chronograph with a suit. You’d think that a guy wearing a $60,000 sports watch might have a dress watch, too. Don’t overlook this detail! He is obviously untrustworthy. What’s he timing in there, anyway? This is all very, very Deep State.


On the other hand, Breguet is a nice choice. (Finally, Michael Brendan Dougherty and I find some common ground!) Man of the people Barack Obama switched from his $400 department-store watch to a Rolex upon exiting office. (A very tasteful one — Obama has always had that much going for him.) Another man of the people, Bill Clinton, wears a different high-end watch practically every time he is photographed; he is thought to own well more than $1 million worth of timepieces. He’s kind of a fiend. Dwight Eisenhower, the very picture of republican restraint, wore a big honking gold Rolex as president; Lyndon Johnson did the same, as does Donald Trump. The Rolex Day-Date, the top of their line, is nicknamed the “president” because so many of our chief executives have been fond of it. Bill Clinton wears one in platinum.

Remember when people used to lose their minds over Michelle Obama’s dresses? Those were more innocent times. To say nothing of Mrs. Lincoln and her wallpaper! That one actually involved public money.