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In Video, World Leaders Seem to Be Commiserating About Trump Justin Trudeau Is ‘Two-Faced,’ Trump Says of Comments Caught on Video
(about 8 hours later)
LONDON — It was a NATO anniversary celebration designed specifically to avoid unwanted disruptions.LONDON — It was a NATO anniversary celebration designed specifically to avoid unwanted disruptions.
But those drama-free plans were upended Tuesday when President Emmanuel Macron of France aggressively challenged President Trump during a televised appearance. And early Wednesday brought another surprise, as a brief video surfaced that showed grinning world leaders at a Buckingham Palace reception apparently commiserating about Mr. Trump’s unorthodox ways. But those drama-free plans were upended on Tuesday when President Emmanuel Macron of France aggressively challenged President Trump during a televised appearance. And early Wednesday brought another surprise, as a brief video surfaced showing grinning world leaders at a Buckingham Palace reception the night before, apparently commiserating about Mr. Trump’s behavior.
In the video, which was posted online by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada seems to be venting about Mr. Trump’s behavior during the first day of the two-day NATO summit meeting. Mr. Trump spoke to reporters for more than two hours in total on Tuesday, which appeared to astonish Mr. Trudeau. In the video, which was posted online by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada seems to be venting about Mr. Trump’s behavior during the first day of the two-day NATO meeting. Mr. Trump spoke to reporters for more than two hours in total on Tuesday, which appeared to astonish Mr. Trudeau.
“He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference at the top,” Mr. Trudeau says to a small group that includes Mr. Macron and the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, among others. Mr. Trudeau does not mention Mr. Trump by name during the exchange, at which he appears to be discussing the day’s bilateral meetings. “He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference at the top,” Mr. Trudeau says to a small group that includes Mr. Macron, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Princess Anne.
“You just watch his team’s jaws drop to the floor,” Mr. Trudeau says at another point. Mr. Macron is also seen participating animatedly in the conversation, but his comments cannot be heard. Mr. Johnson is seen smiling. None of the world leaders seem to realize the conversation is being recorded. Asked about the video on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said of the Canadian premier, “well, he’s two-faced.” He claimed that Mr. Trudeau’s comments were a reaction to his pressure on Canada to increase military spending to reach the target set by NATO, 2 percent of its GDP.
Mr. Trump was put on the defensive Tuesday by Mr. Macron, who during a tense 45-minute appearance aggressively challenged the American president’s vision for NATO and his handling of a military conflict involving Turkey. For Mr. Trump, it was a rare face-to-face meeting with another world leader in which he was not driving the conversation. “He should be paying more than he’s paying,” Mr. Trump said. “I can imagine he’s not that happy, but that’s the way it is.”
Mr. Trudeau does not mention Mr. Trump by name during the exchange, at which the Canadian leader appears to be discussing the day’s bilateral meetings.
“You just watch his team’s jaws drop to the floor,” Mr. Trudeau says at another point. Mr. Macron is also seen participating animatedly in the conversation, but his comments cannot be heard. Mr. Johnson is seen smiling.
None of the world leaders seem to realize that the conversation is being recorded.
Mr. Trump was put on the defensive on Tuesday by Mr. Macron, who during a tense 45-minute appearance aggressively challenged the American president’s vision for NATO and his handling of a military conflict involving Turkey. For Mr. Trump, it was a rare face-to-face meeting with another world leader in which he was not driving the conversation.
Mr. Trudeau participated in a more genial meeting with Mr. Trump later Tuesday.Mr. Trudeau participated in a more genial meeting with Mr. Trump later Tuesday.
Mr. Trump has long bridled at the idea of other world leaders poking fun at the United States. “The world is laughing at us,” he said frequently during his 2016 presidential campaign, criticizing the leadership of President Barack Obama. Mr. Trump has long bridled at the idea of other world leaders poking fun at the United States, and part of his 2016 presidential campaign pitch to voters was that his election would change how America was viewed abroad. “The world is laughing at us,” he said frequently during the campaign, criticizing the leadership of President Barack Obama.
In June 2017, when he announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, Mr. Trump said that “we don’t want other leaders and other countries laughing at us any more. And they won’t be. They won’t be.” In June 2017, when he announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, Mr. Trump said: “We don’t want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore. And they won’t be. They won’t be.”
In 2018, after laughter broke out at the United Nations General Assembly when Mr. Trump claimed his administration had “accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” the president insisted that he was not the target. In 2018, laughter broke out at the United Nations General Assembly when Mr. Trump claimed that his administration had “accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.”
“They weren’t laughing at me, they were laughing with me,” he said. The president insisted at the time that he was not the target, saying, “They weren’t laughing at me, they were laughing with me.”
There was no immediate reaction to the video from Mr. Trump, who had not tweeted in hours when it was posted. None of the NATO leaders publicly acknowledged the uncomfortable video. But the clip loomed over the gathering of NATO leaders on Wednesday morning at The Grove, a country resort in Hertfordshire, where they met for a group photograph and welcome ceremony.
On Wednesday, he was scheduled to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who was not among the leaders seen in the video. He was also scheduled to hold meetings with the prime minsters of Denmark and Italy, and to participate in a working lunch with representatives of Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Britain. The leaders took the stage one at a time to greet Mr. Johnson and the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, and pose briefly before the assembled news cameras.
Mr. Johnson greeted Mr. Trudeau with a handshake and a soft pat on the arm as they stood onstage together. Mr. Macron said hello to Mr. Johnson with a tap on the hand, and lingered, making jovial small talk before exiting the stage.
Mr. Trump arrived late, and shortly before he was due to emerge on the stage, an aide appeared to inform Mr. Johnson of a delay.
“We’re live now,” Mr. Johnson, who seemed perturbed, said to the aide before asking how long the delay would be. “A half an hour? 45 minutes?”
“How are we doing?” Johnson asked the aide few minutes later. “Come on!”
After the two co-hosts lingered onstage for about five minutes, rocking back and forth on their heels, Mr. Trump emerged and patted Mr. Johnson on the back.
Later in the morning, Mr. Trump politely shook hands and exchanged a few words with Mr. Trudeau before a plenary session. Mr. Trump also wrote on Twitter that he had “enjoyed my meeting with the Prime Minister @BorisJohnson of the United Kingdom at @10DowningStreet last night,” noting that the two had discussed “numerous subjects including @NATO and Trade.”
Mr. Trump was also scheduled to meet on Wednesday with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, who was not among the leaders seen in the video but has had her own frosty on-camera interactions with Mr. Trump.
He was also scheduled to hold meetings with the prime minsters of Denmark and Italy, and to participate in a working lunch with representatives of Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Britain.
Mr. Trump was also expected to hold a news conference before his departure.Mr. Trump was also expected to hold a news conference before his departure.
The viral video clip was not only seen as a potential embarassment for Mr. Trump. Mr. Trudeau also drew criticism for speaking so freely in a setting where his remarks could be caught by a hot mic.
“By this point in his tenure the Prime Minister should realise that events with pool cameras need to be approached and managed as on the record events,” Andrew MacDougall, a former spokesman for Mr. Trudeau’s conservative predecessor, prime minister Stephen Harper wrote on Twitter.
“Hopefully this gaffe doesn’t wind the President up at a sensitive time” for United States-Canada relations, he said.