Before Winter Storm Stella hit the nation's capital, President Donald Trump requested a briefing on preparations from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Bowser briefed the president on the city's preparations for the coming weather and brought with her the general manager of the D.C. Metro system, Paul Wiedefeld.
The storm proved to be less harsh for the region than expected, and the Washington Post published an article Tuesday that appeared to take a jab at Trump for summoning Bowser when the weather was not so severe.
The piece, titled "Trump summoned D.C. mayor to Oval Office for storm that brought 2.5 inches of snow," portrayed Trump's decision to meet the D.C. mayor as an overreaction.
Presidents have over the years invited D.C. mayors to ceremonial and political events, but no one could recall a D.C. mayor being summoned to the Oval Office to brief the president–not for Nor'easters that paralyzed the city; not when a 2011 earthquake damaged city landmarks; not even after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
After listing past major events when mayors were not invited to meet with the president, the Post wondered if Trump's meeting was a matter of panic or politics.
The Oval Office discussion–about a storm that ultimately dropped just 2.5 inches of snow on the White House lawn–remained the source of intense debate Tuesday among city leaders.
Did the leader of the free world really need a storm briefing from the D.C. mayor? Was it a genuine attempt to coordinate with District officials? Or was it a condescending swipe at the city, raising doubts about whether it was prepared to handle snow?
Last winter brought a massive storm to the D.C. area that raised questions about how prepared the district was for winter weather.
Bowser said she got the impression Trump and his aides "were earnestly trying to get their bearings ahead of the storm," the Post noted.
"It was a new administration that was dealing with its first storm of the East Coast and its first decision around federal workers," Bowser said. "His intent was making sure that all of the players knew each other and we have the right contacts and that if there were things the [federal] government could be doing, that they were being done."
Many in the D.C. area were prepared for a full winter storm after local media, including the Washington Post, had hyped the coming weather.
Major and messy winter storm bears down on Washington: What to expect and answers to frequent questionshttps://t.co/LPhpTYDSde
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 13, 2017
More than 4,000 flights scheduled for Tuesday have been canceled as a winter storm barrels toward the Northeast https://t.co/L5NSkpLWxW
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 13, 2017
The conservative site Twitchy took a swipe at the Post via Twitter for its story on Trump's meeting with Bowser, referencing the outlet's prior coverage of the storm.
Washington Post trolls Trump for his response to 'major and messy winter storm' it hyped for days https://t.co/a092DSEn80
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 14, 2017
Some Twitter users criticized the Post for the way it covered Trump's meeting, noting that predictions said the storm was going to bring at least a foot of snow.
@postlocal This could not be more ridiculous - if President Obama did this would there be outrage and claims of condescension?
— Stephen J. Moss (@StephenJMoss) March 14, 2017
@washingtonpost you people are deranged, first off The forecast was for over a foot maybe two, and what's wrong with talking to mayor??
— Sully (@patsully35) March 14, 2017