In addition to the way he treated both Melania Trump and Monika Babišová, the Czech Prime Minister's wife, I was rather puzzled about the protocol about the Commander-in-Chief returning salutes.
He ignored the marines saluting him when he and Melania came of the door and then appeared, when returning inside the building, to give a really slap-dash salute in the form a wave that a pedestrian might use to acknowledge a motorist who slows down when she sees him waiting to cross the road.
Can any of the military veterans in this forum shed any light on how the C-i-C is supposed to conduct himself when he's saluted? I'm sure that, whatever the protocol is, it can't be what Individual 1 is doing.
Oy, this is a strangely complicated issue. I noticed the sloppy salute and had a little chuckle because of all the flack former Pres. Obama received from conservatives for not being respectful to the military. Technically, the President should not be saluting uniformed members of the military. First, you should not salute without a cover (a hat). Second, he is not in uniform.
Prior to former Pres. Reagan, presidents did not salute for the reasons given above. Even though they are in the chain of command, they are civilians, and it is a point of pride that the top three levels of the chain of command are civilians. (Pres -> Sec. of Defense -> Sec. of Army/Navy/A.F.). Former Pres. Reagan decided he wanted to salute so every president since then has saluted.
Personally, I am not all that uptight about his salute being so sloppy, even though I feel it is not appropriate for a president to salute. I do get a bit agitated by the flagrant hypocrisy, though, by a certain party that leverages any possible instance from wearing a tan suit to a less than snappy salute as a way to try to score points rather than act with any sense of dignity or moral compass whatsoever.
Sorry, The Presidential Salute Isn't A Real Thing
Edit to add.... almost forgot. My favourite presidential salute is when Pres. Trump saluted a North Korean General.
Trump faces backlash after saluting North Korean general
Of course, he got a free pass on that.