Crisis phone

"Pick up the phone, Mr. President!" shouted Deputy Secretary of Defense Warren to bring him out of his reverie.

The president picked up the phone hesitantly. The tone of his voice seemed to be very urgent.

"This is President Gump." His tone was more monotonous than he would have liked, but he was barely able to understand what the ringing of the phone meant.

President Gump's face was impassive; some of his advisors doubted that he really understood anything of what he was being told or how important it was.

"I understand…" It was impossible to tell from the president's face whether he was listening to bad news or a practical joke.

Some of those present seemed ready to snatch the phone from the president's hands at such laconicism and inaction.

"A meteorite says...?" Disbelief echoed in each letter the president asked.