Brussels – U.S. President Donald Trump muscled himself to the front of the world stage in Brussels on Thursday, firmly pushing aside the leader of soon-to-be member Montenegro at a NATO summit.
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Footage showing the leaders caught Trump pushing his way past Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, then confidently adjusting his suit as he emerged in the front of the group, closer to NATO head Jens Stoltenberg.
Video of the incident went viral and came as Trump delivered a tough message to NATO allies to dramatically increase their defense spending to ease financial burden to the United States.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer, asked about Trump moving past Markovic, said he had not seen the video but assumed the U.S. president was moving to his designated spot.
The NATO mission of Montenegro, which is joining the Western military alliance against stiff opposition from Russia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The small Balkan country will formally become NATO’s 29th state in June but Markovic joined the Brussels summit, Trump’s first, and a ceremonial opening of the alliance’s new headquarters.
During the leaders’ joint photo shoot in the new building, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged his counterparts to wave for the cameras. Some did as Trudeau requested, but Trump did not raise his arm.
Trump smiled briefly, but otherwise kept a serious expression on his face for the brief session.
Baby-in-chief. About all that’s missing now is a video of Trump sucking his thumb or sucking a pacifier or repeatedly pounding both hands on a table.
It’s embarrassing to be an American, with such an egotistical narcissist for a president 🙁
At least he did not grab any females (this time)
Isn’t it odd,how the Trump haters on this site will criticize him for something New Yorkers do all the time (especially on the subway), or that Israelis do on the buses, and elsewhere?
I really don’t see him pushing. It looks to me like Trump was talking to someone and was about to bump into Markovic when he catches himself. You can see Markovic’s arm is underneath Trump’s as if he is helping him forward, as if Trump is trying to carry his own momentum around Markovic to avoid barreling him over. I don’t doubt though that the media will do whatever it takes to make Trump look bad.