Associated Press
President Donald Trump, center left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrive for a round table meeting during a NATO leaders meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Donald Trump to give him the "context" of a video appearing to show him and other world leaders laughing about the US president at the NATO summit in London.
- Trudeau cleared the air with Trump on Wednesday morning but he did not apologize, a NATO source and separate Canadian official told CNN.
- Trudeau says the joke concerned Trump's "unscheduled" press conferences, and his announcement that the 2020 G7 conference will be held at Camp David.
- Trump called Trudeau "two-faced" later on Wednesday.
- It was a turbulent summit for the US president, who was also chided by French President Emmanuel Macron over ISIS, and kept at arms length by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for fear that he would jeopardize his chances in the UK's general election next week.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Justin Trudeau reportedly explained to Donald Trump the "context" behind a joke about him he told to NATO leaders, but didn't apologize.
Trudeau was caught on camera Tuesday night chuckling about the president's unpredictable actions with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and the British Royal family's Princess Anne at a reception at Buckingham Palace, London.
The video gathered traction in the British and North American media, prompting Trump to call Trudeau "two-faced" in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Trudeau met with Trump on Wednesday morning but did not apologize, a NATO member source told CNN. Instead he gave him "context" about the scenes in the video, a Canadian official told CNN.
Trudeau said on Wednesday that his comments in the video concerned Trump's "unscheduled" press conferences, and his announcement that the 2020 G7 conference will be held at Camp David.
Watch the video here:
"He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top," Trudeau is seen saying in the video, as Macron and Johnson crack a smile.
"You just watched his team's jaws drop to the floor," Trudeau then says, seemingly referring to Trump's announcement that the 2020 G7 conference will be held at the neutral residence of Camp David, instead of Trump's National Doral Resort near Miami.
Reuters Connect
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Princess Anne, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appear to be talking about Trump behind his back.
Later that day Trump was caught in his own hot-mic moment, saying: "That was funny when I said the guy is two-faced," referring to his comments on Trudeau, according to multiple White House pool reporters.
Business Insider's Alexandra Ma previously noted that Trump's clout on the world stage was severely undermined at the NATO summit as Trudeau mocked him, Macron publicly fact-checked his claims about ISIS, and Johnson distanced himself from Trump for fear that he would jeopardize his chance in the UK general election this month.
- Read more:
- Trump was embarrassed on the first day of the NATO summit, and it shows no one is bothering to take him seriously anymore
- Trump at the NATO summit is like Homer Simpson trying not to screw up, according to the UK's most feared journalist
- Video appears to show world leaders mocking Trump after uncomfortable first day at NATO summit
- Putin got exactly what he wants from NATO this week, thanks to Trump
.@JustinTrudeau, @EmmanuelMacron, @BorisJohnson and other VIPs shared a few words at a Buckingham Palace reception Tuesday. No one mentions @realDonaldTrump by name, but they seem to be discussing his lengthy impromptu press conferences from earlier in the day. (Video: Host Pool) pic.twitter.com/dVgj48rpOP
- Power & Politics (@PnPCBC) December 3, 2019