US President Donald Trump has released pictures of last week’s G7 summit to dispel a notion that he does not get along with world leaders.
In a series of tweets on Friday, he alleged that the mainstream American media was reporting negatively about his relationship with leaders of the G7 countries, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“I have a great relationship with Angela Merkel of Germany, but the Fake News Media only shows the bad photos (implying anger) of negotiating an agreement - where I am asking for things that no other American President would ask for!” Mr. Trump said in a tweet in which he attached four pictures of him with G7 leaders.
Among the pictures posted, one was of the meeting in which he is seen seated even as Chancellor Merkel and other leaders were standing. While in a previous picture of the meeting which has now gone viral, Trump was seen in a tensed mood, the one released by him showed the president, Ms. Merkel and other leaders smiling.
“I’ve had to beat 17 very talented people, including the Bush Dynasty, then I had to beat the Clinton Dynasty, and now I have to beat a phony Witch Hunt and all of the dishonest people covered in the IG Report...and never forget the Fake News Media. It never ends!” he said.
In another set of four pictures tweeted by Mr. Trump, he is seen posing with French President Emanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau and British Prime Minister Theresa May. “The Fake News Media said that I did not get along with other Leaders at the #G7Summit in Canada. They are once again, WRONG!” the president said.
“Great discussions with European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk at the #G7Summit in Canada last week,” Mr. Trump tweeted along with another picture of the last week’s summit in Canada.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal said in a report that European leaders were dismayed at the summit that they couldn’t move Mr. Trump on basic issues, such as the economics of US trade deficits. “The mood really changed after the G7,” a European Union official was quoted as saying.
Mr. Trump, according to people familiar with the meetings, was at times wary of appearing isolated. “When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe registered an objection to wording in the joint statement about combating plastic waste, Mr. Trump, who shared Mr. Abe’s concern, reportedly said ‘Oh, well, then it’s five versus two.’,” the daily reported.
“The US president jarred some with blunt observations,” the Journal added.
At one point, according to the daily, Mr Trump brought up migration as a big problem for Europe and then told Abe, “Shinzo, you don’t have this problem, but I can send you 25 million Mexicans and you’ll be out of office very soon,” the official who was also in the room said. A sense of irritation with Trump could be felt, “but everyone tried to be rational and calm,” the official added.
Also during a discussion over Iran and terrorism, Mr. Trump verbally jabbed at Mr. Macron, “You must know about this, Emmanuel, because all the terrorists are in Paris,” he was quoted as saying.
