SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Donald Trump pose for a photograph before their joint press conference Friday. (Photo: Getty)
Twitter Lights Up After 'Too Embarrassing to Watch' Trump-Merkel Press Conference
President Donald Trump slipped up and called the U.S. a "company," ignored German Chancellor Angela Merkel's request for a handshake, and called a German press outlet "fake news"
Mar 17, 2017
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel met with President Donald Trump for the first time Friday, and the encounter between the liberal European leader and the far-right, demagogic president was, if anything, extraordinarily awkward.
Trump ignored Merkel's request for a handshake, provoked a look of disbelief when he repeated his allegations that President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones--"we have that in common," he told Merkel--and called a German newspaper "fake news" after a reporter asked him a question. He appeared to find it difficult to bring himself to look at the German chancellor.
And while many expected that Merkel, who has advocated welcoming and resettling refugees even as other European countries have closed their borders to asylum seekers, would clash with Trump over immigration, Trump instead appeared to entirely dodge her appeal for more humane immigration policies.
On Twitter, disbelief and embarrassment was the overwhelming response to what one pundit described as the "most remarkable/bizarre press conference between two allies I've ever seen":
\u201cPhotographers: Can we get a handshake?\nMerkel (to Trump): Do you want to have a handshake?\nTrump: *no response*\nMerkel: *makes awkward face*\u201d— David Mack (@David Mack) 1489768029
This press conference is ridiculous. Trump still says he was witetapped by Obama. Says he and Merkel have that in common.
-- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) March 17, 2017
\u201cGREATEST Freudian slip from Trump just now in Merkel press conference: "We're a very powerful company...er, country."\u201d— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@Alice Miranda Ollstein) 1489775156
\u201cOH MY GOD. Trump is defending his false wiretapping claims by citing a "highly respected lawyer... on Fox News."\u201d— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D) 1489775743
\u201cTrump/Merkel press conference becoming almost too embarrassing to watch ...\u201d— Andrew Neil (@Andrew Neil) 1489775176
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel met with President Donald Trump for the first time Friday, and the encounter between the liberal European leader and the far-right, demagogic president was, if anything, extraordinarily awkward.
Trump ignored Merkel's request for a handshake, provoked a look of disbelief when he repeated his allegations that President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones--"we have that in common," he told Merkel--and called a German newspaper "fake news" after a reporter asked him a question. He appeared to find it difficult to bring himself to look at the German chancellor.
And while many expected that Merkel, who has advocated welcoming and resettling refugees even as other European countries have closed their borders to asylum seekers, would clash with Trump over immigration, Trump instead appeared to entirely dodge her appeal for more humane immigration policies.
On Twitter, disbelief and embarrassment was the overwhelming response to what one pundit described as the "most remarkable/bizarre press conference between two allies I've ever seen":
\u201cPhotographers: Can we get a handshake?\nMerkel (to Trump): Do you want to have a handshake?\nTrump: *no response*\nMerkel: *makes awkward face*\u201d— David Mack (@David Mack) 1489768029
This press conference is ridiculous. Trump still says he was witetapped by Obama. Says he and Merkel have that in common.
-- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) March 17, 2017
\u201cGREATEST Freudian slip from Trump just now in Merkel press conference: "We're a very powerful company...er, country."\u201d— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@Alice Miranda Ollstein) 1489775156
\u201cOH MY GOD. Trump is defending his false wiretapping claims by citing a "highly respected lawyer... on Fox News."\u201d— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D) 1489775743
\u201cTrump/Merkel press conference becoming almost too embarrassing to watch ...\u201d— Andrew Neil (@Andrew Neil) 1489775176
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel met with President Donald Trump for the first time Friday, and the encounter between the liberal European leader and the far-right, demagogic president was, if anything, extraordinarily awkward.
Trump ignored Merkel's request for a handshake, provoked a look of disbelief when he repeated his allegations that President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones--"we have that in common," he told Merkel--and called a German newspaper "fake news" after a reporter asked him a question. He appeared to find it difficult to bring himself to look at the German chancellor.
And while many expected that Merkel, who has advocated welcoming and resettling refugees even as other European countries have closed their borders to asylum seekers, would clash with Trump over immigration, Trump instead appeared to entirely dodge her appeal for more humane immigration policies.
On Twitter, disbelief and embarrassment was the overwhelming response to what one pundit described as the "most remarkable/bizarre press conference between two allies I've ever seen":
\u201cPhotographers: Can we get a handshake?\nMerkel (to Trump): Do you want to have a handshake?\nTrump: *no response*\nMerkel: *makes awkward face*\u201d— David Mack (@David Mack) 1489768029
This press conference is ridiculous. Trump still says he was witetapped by Obama. Says he and Merkel have that in common.
-- Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) March 17, 2017
\u201cGREATEST Freudian slip from Trump just now in Merkel press conference: "We're a very powerful company...er, country."\u201d— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@Alice Miranda Ollstein) 1489775156
\u201cOH MY GOD. Trump is defending his false wiretapping claims by citing a "highly respected lawyer... on Fox News."\u201d— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D) 1489775743
\u201cTrump/Merkel press conference becoming almost too embarrassing to watch ...\u201d— Andrew Neil (@Andrew Neil) 1489775176
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.