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Trump Leaves NATO Summit After Video Flap

12/4/19
from The Wall Street Journal,
12/4/19:

President Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-faced” after a video emerged of a group of NATO leaders discussing the U.S. leader without him present, rattling a summit to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance. The video, which was taken at a reception at Buckingham Palace Tuesday evening, captures U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking President Emmanuel Macron of France why he was late to the reception. “Well, he’s two-faced,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Trudeau. He then added, “Honestly with Trudeau he’s a nice guy,” before suggesting Canada was upset that he had pushed the country to increase military spending. After Mr. Trump’s comment, Mr. Trudeau said the videotaped conversation focused on what he described as an unscheduled press conference Mr. Trump held before the Canadian leader’s meeting with Mr. Trump. “It was certainly notable,” Mr. Trudeau said. Mr. Macron declined to comment on the video. When Mr. Johnson was asked Wednesday about the meeting in Buckingham Palace and whether he takes Mr. Trump seriously, he responded: “That’s complete nonsense, and I don’t know where that’s come from.” Mr. Trump’s aides had planned to use the trip to showcase him on the world stage, busily working despite the impeachment proceeding back home. But the summit quickly devolved as Mr. Trump clashed openly with Mr. Macron and needled Mr. Trudeau in bilateral meetings. Mr. Trump often concludes his foreign trips with a wide-ranging press conference, holding forth on international and domestic issues. But he has also at times exited foreign trips abruptly, as he did when he ended a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un ahead of schedule earlier this year.

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