Angela Merkel shares viral photo of her staring down Donald Trump at G7
Image alludes to tension at gathering which was branded the 'G6 plus one' due to US president's isolation over trade
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Your support makes all the difference.German Chancellor Angela Merkel has shared a photo of her tenaciously staring down US president Donald Trump during the G7 Summit in Canada.
The image alludes to some tension at the gathering which was branded the “G6 plus one” due to Mr Trump’s isolation over trade and his decision to pull America out of the Iran nuclear deal.
The photo, which has been widely shared on social media, came amid mounting tensions between Mr Trump, Ms Merkel, and other G7 leaders over trade disputes.
The picture, which was taken by the German cabinet's official photographer Jesco Denze, shows stony-faced world leaders and aides standing over the president who appears petulant as he sits with his arms crossed.
While Ms Merkel is in the foreground, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also standing with his arms crossed looking visibly unimpressed. The meeting also included Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Ms Merkel shared the photo on her official Instagram account on Saturday as Mr Trump was getting ready to leave early from the meeting in Montreal, Quebec before a historic Singapore meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
While people shared humorous captions and memes of the photo, Ms Merkle’s caption is more temperate and simply read: "Day two of the G7 summit in Canada: Spontaneous meeting between two working sessions."
Critics argued the image encapsulated a tense summit for Mr Trump who reportedly told aides he did not want to go to the event.
Mr Trump’s decision to hike tariffs on aluminium and steel angered some foreign leaders prior to the annual meeting - creating tension around the summit before it even kicked off.
The president also repeatedly said he was keen for Russia rejoin the G7 summit in spite of it being suspended after the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
During a solo press conference just before he left Mr Trump sought to dismiss reports the mood had been fraught - branding it "fake" news.
“I’d say the level of relationship is a 10. We have a great relationship. Angela [Merkel], and Emmanuel [Macron] and Justin [Trudeau] ... I would say the relationship is a 10.”
The president then lashed out at a CNN reporter.
"The relationship that I’ve had [with the other leaders] is great, so you can tell that to your fake friends at CNN," he said.
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