As Trump meets face-to-face with Xi, here is a look back at some of the awkward moments the US president has had with other world leaders.
In February, French President Emmanuel Macron – in front of the cameras – reached for Trump’s arm and interrupted him as he spoke. Macron then sought to correct the US president on a point about funding Ukraine in its war with Russia, and made a point of stressing Moscow – not Kyiv – was the aggressor.
That same month, during a White House meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump appeared unaware of the major military pact between the US, Britain and Australia. Asked directly by a reporter about AUKUS, Trump replied: “What does that mean?”
In the same week came the extraordinary Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, repeatedly accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” and insufficiently grateful for America’s support. Zelensky called out some of Trump’s false claims and became angered when Vance said it was time to deal diplomatically with Moscow. As the animosity intensified, the men spoke over each other often and raised their voices.
In May, Trump confronted his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, with unfounded claims of a genocide. He dimmed the lights and made Ramaphosa watch a video purporting to back up his false assertions about the state-sanctioned mass murder of Afrikaners, the white ethnic minority that ruled South Africa during apartheid. Trump also accused Ramaphosa of taking white farmers’ land off them, to which the South African leader responded, “We have not”.
Donald Trump with Anthony Albanese at the White House.Credit: AP
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Anthony Albanese enjoyed a much more cordial encounter with Trump – who lavished praise on the prime minister and Australia – in their long-awaited first summit at the White House lat week. Even so, there was still that awkward moment when Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd – sitting across the table – was dressed down by Trump over old, disparaging comments about the US president.
And just this week, Trump’s meeting in Tokyo with Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, was seen as a veritable love-in. Takaichi pulled off the kind of diplomatic coup that has eluded other nations: securing adulation instead of scorn and humiliation – though she did have the home-ground advantage.
