Trump Attending G20 Says "Lockdowns Are Not Acceptable"...Tweet Rejecting Election Results During Meeting (Summary)

Saudi King’s Opening Address Met with Election Refusal Tweet
Self-Praise in Speech: "Achieved Something Truly Unbelievable"
During Pandemic Session, Went to Golf Course...Causing Chaos Among Aides

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who is known to be in seclusion at the White House following the U.S. presidential election, attended the G20 virtual summit. However, during the meeting, he sent tweets rejecting the election results and boasted about the response to COVID-19, claiming that lockdown measures should not be implemented, drawing criticism for various inappropriate behaviors and causing international embarrassment.

According to foreign media including Bloomberg News, President Trump participated in the G20 virtual summit held on the morning of the 21st (local time) and attracted domestic and international criticism for his various conspicuous actions.

During the virtual meeting, while King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, the chair country, was delivering the opening remarks for about nine minutes, Trump was seen looking down at something on his desk. At the moment the Saudi king’s opening speech was ending, Trump posted on his Twitter account, "We will show massive, unprecedented (voting) fraud," implying that his election loss was due to election fraud, which drew criticism.

His remarks during the virtual meeting were also criticized. President Trump praised the low unemployment rate and surging demand in the U.S. economy, saying, "We have done truly incredible things during my term economically and in dealing with the pandemic," and stated, "Lockdowns should be rejected as a means to suppress the virus." Regarding the key topic of vaccine sharing at the meeting, he mentioned, "All Americans who want a vaccine should be able to get one," but did not mention the need to share vaccines with other countries.

According to AFP News Agency, President Trump told other world leaders, "It has been an honor to work with you. I look forward to working together for a long time," but shortly afterward, he embarrassed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow by abruptly leaving and heading to a golf course in Virginia. It is reported that President Trump completely skipped the session focused on the pandemic. Bloomberg News cited a source saying, "Some other leaders also left after speaking, which is customary," and "President Trump stayed for at least the first hour."

President Trump is also scheduled to attend the second day of the G20 summit on the 22nd. CNN reported that this G20 meeting will be the last diplomatic stage where Trump meets with other world leaders during his term, which ends on January 20 of next year. Despite the controversy, it is presumed that the reason Trump attended the G20 meeting was to show that he is maintaining his presence and managing state affairs and diplomacy.