LONDON: President Trump called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “two-faced” on Wednesday after Trudeau appeared to mock the president during a reception at Buckingham Palace.
The president also canceled a news conference that was scheduled to take place at the conclusion of the NATO summit.
“When today’s meetings are over, I will be heading back to Washington,” Trump tweeted. “We won’t be doing a press conference at the close of NATO because we did so many over the past two days.”
He had previously signaled to reporters he might cancel the news conference, which was slated for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Trump has engaged in some tense interactions with fellow world leaders, including Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron. During a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Macron, Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared to joke about Trump.
“He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top,” Trudeau can be heard telling Macron and Johnson, adding, “You just watched his team’s jaws drop to the floor.”
When asked by reporters about Trudeau’s comments, Trump called the Canadian prime minister “two-faced” and suggested Trudeau “wasn’t happy” he was called out by the president for not meeting NATO’s 2% commitment.
“I’m representing the U.S. and he should be paying more than he’s paying, and he understands that,”Trump said of Trudeau. “So I can imagine he’s not that happy, but that’s the way it is.”
Earlier, the president criticized Macron for suggesting NATO is experiencing “brain death,” defending the institution he says he has made stronger.
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