Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Wednesday he had "a very good relationship" with US President Donald Trump and his team after being asked about an unguarded exchange on camera with other NATO leaders apparently gossiping about the US president's behaviour.
Trudeau was seen standing in a huddle with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Britain’s Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II at Tuesday evening’s Buckingham Palace reception for NATO leaders.
After Johnson asked Macron, “is that why you were late?” Trudeau could be heard saying “he was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top."
Trudeau confirmed that was a reference to Trump’s long and unscheduled question-and-answer session with journalists earlier Tuesday.
Trudeau also said: “You just watched his team's jaws drop to the floor."
He explained Wednesday that was in reference to Trump’s decision to hold the next Group of Seven meeting at Camp David, the presidential retreat.
Footage of the palace reception was recorded by a pool camera. The clip was posted online by Canadian broadcaster CBC and has been viewed more than 5 million times.
Speaking Wednesday at the summit venue in Watford, outside London, Trump said Trudeau was likely upset that the US president had broached the fact that Canada falls short of the NATO target of spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense.
Trudeau had a quiet word and a handshake with Trump as he arrived at the summit Wednesday, and later tried to shrug off the episode.
"I've had a number of good conversations with the president over the course of this day and yesterday," Trudeau told reporters at a news conference.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: [ Ссылка ]
QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL:
Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake
Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake
Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake
Subscribe to our newsletter: [ Ссылка ]
Email us at quicktakenews@gmail.com
QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.
