Donald Trump's press secretary released a photograph on Friday showing the president receiving a briefing on the the missile strikes in Syria, in a makeshift "situation room" at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

As the strikes were ordered Mr Trump was hosting Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, at his 126-room pink palace.

After hosting a lavish dinner, the president had stepped into a small, private side room, that was quickly decked out with secure communications equipment. A note urging for "quiet" was tacked with sellotape on the door. He and his staff sat on gold painted wedding chairs.

The image of the president, surrounded by more than a dozen aides, staring at a screen at the end of the table, was no doubt intended to draw a parallel with the iconic photograph released of Barack Obama watching the 2011 raid against Osama bin Laden.