The annual G20 Summit is happening right now in Osaka, Japan and like with every large gathering of world leaders since 2016, all eyes are on U.S. President Donald Trump.
Since his election, Trump has proven to make these events anything but boring, especially when Russian President Vladimir Putin is also there.
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The G20 Summit is an annual gathering of 19 countries and the EU.
The summits focus on the world economy, as the 20 members represent about 90% of the gross world product (GWP).
Each year, the location of the summit moves, with the local head of government acting as Chairman. This time around, it’s Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcoming the delegates.
But all eyes were on Trump, and particularly, on Trump’s meeting with Putin.
This is the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since the release of the Mueller Report’s confirmed that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
So it’s hardly surprising that people were wondering what the two would discuss or if the Mueller Report would come up.
Before leaving for Japan, Trump told reporters that he planned to have a “good conversation with [Putin]” but “what I say to him is none of your business.”
The Mueller Report hasn’t seemed to affect Trump’s opinion of Putin or his government.
As the two sat down for their meeting, journalists once again asked if Trump would ask Putin not to meddle in the upcoming 2020 election.
“Yes, of course I will,” Trump said, and then turned to Putin, smirking and wagging his finger as he said, “Don’t meddle in the election, please.”
Unsurprisingly, some people wondered how Trump could make light of such an important issue.
At the joke, Putin laughed while Trump aides in the background smiled.
It’s far from the firm rebuke that people hoped to see in the run-up to the next election, but you can watch the video and judge for yourself.
The pair also shared words about journalists, with Trump joking that they should just ‘get rid’ of them.
As the two sat and posed for photographs in front of a slew of photographers, Trump leaned in towards Putin and said , “Get rid of them. Fake news is a great term, isn’t it? You don’t have this problem in Russia but we do.”
In response, Putin said, “We also have. It’s the same.”
Investigative journalists in Russia have faced far worse consequences for their probes into the government than their American counterparts.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 26 journalists have been killed in Russia since Putin first became president. Many of those who were killed were investigative reporters who scrutinized governmental abuses.
Since news broke about Trump’s lighthearted warning to the Russian leader, he has since backpedaled amidst the backlash.
During a news conference at the summit, he was asked to clarify his sentiments towards Putin, at which point he explained that the two had a “tremendous discussion” together.
“I did say it, and I did discuss it a little bit after that, too,” he said.
h/t: CNN
