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Viral Photo of Donald Trump And Angela Merkel Basically Is 2018

Viral Photo of Donald Trump And Angela Merkel Basically Is 2018

If ever there was a photo that summed up how just about everyone feels about politics in 2018, this one might just be it

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

G7 Summits are often dull and uninspiring, as leaders from around the world meet to discuss high-level trade and the like.

Well, they used to be. Previously, the only way to get any entertainment out of a G7 - previously G8 - event was to follow around the anarchist black bloc protest, but in this new era of Donald Trump, there is finally something to comment on.

Most proper politicians are too reserved to, y'know, slag off the other members of the summit to their faces, but the Donald has no such qualms. In fact, the way in which everyone has been staring him down has been perfectly captured by just one photograph.

PA

In it, we can see Angela Merkel, the long-standing Chancellor of Germany, leaning on a table with a look on her face that stands somewhere between exasperation and irritation.

Across from her is Donald Trump, arms crossed, smirking as if he doesn't care a jot about what his German counterpart has to say about him.

The image kind of sums up the summit and, to a lesser extent, 2018 in global politics. Even before the G7 meeting started, the French delegation had called it "G6+1", referring to the way in which Donald Trump had set himself and the US delegation apart from everyone else.

The initial divide was over trade: Trump has refused to step down on his plans to introduce tariffs on foreign trade, particularly with Canada, who are hosting the summit. Obviously, everyone knows that going to a party and insulting the host is not a brilliant idea, but most of us have the tact not to do it anyway.

Then, Trump racked up the tension by pointing out the elephant in the room - the absence of Russia, who were suspended from the organisation after their invasion of Ukraine and annexation of the province of Crimea in 2014.

Trump called for Russia to be readmitted, causing ire from the other world leaders, among whom there is a broad consensus that Russia should remain uninvited until the situation in Crimea changes.

The issue of American protectionism and isolationism has dominated the agenda, with trade, foreign policy and environmental decisions made by Donald Trump widely unpopular among the other six nations.

His plan to leave the Paris Climate Change Agreement, his scrapping of the deal that was made by his predecessor with Iran and his Twitter spats with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have done little to endear him to anyone.

Not that Donald cares much: he's leaving the summit two days early to go to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World News, US News, Donald Trump