President Trump, center left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrive for a Wednesday NATO ... [+]
(Updated: 10:22 a.m. EST, 12/4/2019)
Topline: A video of NATO leaders (including Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson) apparently gossiping about President Trump during a Buckingham Palace reception—along with Princess Anne—went viral on social media, with Trump blasting Trudeau Wednesday morning for being “two-faced.”
- In the video, Johnson can be seen asking Macron, “Is that why you were late?”
- Trudeau then chimes in, saying “He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top,” with “he” an apparent reference to Trump.
- Macron inaudibly replies to Trudeau, with Trudeau then saying, “You just watched his team’s jaws drop to the floor.”
- The leaders appeared to be referencing how Trump turned brief photo opportunities into a press conference spanning over two hours earlier that day.
- Princess Anne seemed to be present during the conversation; although her face cannot be seen, her distinctive hairstyle peeks out from Trudeau’s left side.
- Princess Anne had already gone viral Tuesday in a separate video clip that appeared to capture Queen Elizabeth scolding her for not greeting Trump and the first lady.
Crucial quote: Trump called Trudeau “two-faced” during a Wednesday appearance with German chancellor Angela Merkel. Trump added, "And honestly, with Trudeau he's a nice guy, but the truth is I called him out on the fact he's not paying 2 percent [in funding NATO] and I guess he's not happy about it."
Trump also tweeted Wednesday that after the day’s meetings are over, he’s heading back to Washington—and no press conference will be held before his departure, because “we did so many” during the NATO summit. Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig said that Trump canceled a planned Wednesday news conference and is leaving London early.
Trudeau responds: According to Toronto Star reporter Tonda MacCharles, Trudeau said his “jaws dropped” comment was in reference to the next G7 being held at Camp David, instead of Trump’s Miami Doral resort.
What to watch for: If anyone else involved comments on the video. Fox News host Laura Ingraham wrote on Twitter that the video is “a great moment” for Trump, and that “foreign leaders have been laughing at Republican presidents” since Ronald Reagan was in office.
Big number: Over 6 million. That’s the number of times the gossip video, originally posted by Canadian broadcaster CBC, has been viewed on Twitter.
Key background: Trump has long worried that the U.S. was viewed as a “laughingstock” on the international stage. (And according to an online database of his tweets, Trump first expressed that concern back in 2012.) New York Times White House reporter Maggie Haberman mentioned this on Twitter, adding that Trump “hates the thought” of others laughing at him. Notably, Trump was met with laughter during a 2018 United Nations speech after saying his administration accomplished more than any in U.S. history.
Tangent: The gossip video was captured as a part of NATO’s pooled press. News organizations use press pools to combine resources for event coverage. Once they are created, the pooled video or written reports are distributed to all members.
