18 photos show Trump's disastrous NATO summit, where he was left isolated and embarrassed by his closest allies

Trump leaving the reception.
Trump leaving the reception.

Reuters

  • President Donald Trump on Wednesday cut short his visit to the UK for the NATO summit after a series of humiliating incidents.

  • The US president made a hurried exit after a group of world leaders appeared to mock him, French President Emmanuel Macron admonished him, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson avoided being photographed with him.

  • The dramatic events seemed to be getting to the president, who was seen sulking throughout the summit.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday cut short his visit to the UK for the NATO summit after a series of humiliating incidents left him isolated and embarrassed by his fellow world leaders.

Despite being there for only two days, Trump was keen to get back to the US, even canceling a final press conference.

Earlier he had called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "two-faced" after a video appeared to show Trudeau and other world leaders mocking Trump behind his back.

But it didn't stop there. Trump was also openly questioned by French President Emmanuel Macron about his comments about ISIS, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson avoided being photographed with him, apparently fearing that it would taint his image among voters before the December 12 general election.

The dramatic events seemed to be getting to the US president, who was seen sulking throughout the summit.

Here are 18 photos showing Trump's humiliation and upset over the two-day summit.

Trump and his wife, Melania, arrived in London on Monday ahead of the 70th NATO summit. Trump was triumphant, claiming credit for an increase in contributions from NATO member states to the alliance's budget.

Reuters

Source: New York Times, Foreign Policy



However, Trump's disastrous two days kicked off as he called Macron's comments about the "brain death" of NATO "nasty" and "insulting."

Reuters

Macron was referring to the military incursion of northern Syria by Turkey, another NATO ally.

Source: Business Insider, Economist, BBC



Later, in a one-on-one press conference, Trump said that France and the US had "done a lot of good things together," but Macron publicly corrected Trump's claims about ISIS.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider



In what appeared to be a jab at Trump, Macron said the "No.1 priority, because it's not yet finished, is to get rid of ISIS and these terrorist groups," adding: "It's not yet done. I'm sorry to say that."

Reuters

Macron also questioned Trump's assertion that foreign fighters in ISIS were predominantly from Europe.

"Let's be serious. The very large numbers of fighters you have on the ground are coming from Syria, from Iraq and the region," Macron said.

Source: Business Insider



Reports then emerged that Johnson was avoiding being photographed with Trump and that he decided not to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the US president, fearing that it could hinder his party's chances in next week's general election in the UK.

Reuters

Source: Financial Times, NBC News



The Queen hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening for the world leaders attending the summit.

Reuters

A video from the event appeared to show several world leaders, including Johnson, Trudeau, Macron, and Princess Anne mocking Trump behind his back.

Twitter/Power&Politics

Source: Business Insider



In the video, published with captions by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Trudeau appeared to make fun of Trump's press conference earlier that morning in which he criticized Macron. "He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top," Trudeau said.

Screenshot/CBC

Source: CBC via Twitter, Business Insider



The comment from Trudeau, who appeared very animated during the conference, prompted laughter from the other world leaders.

Reuters Connect

As Trump left the event, the video was garnering media attention — causing embarrassment for the president and suggestions that other world leaders do not take him seriously.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider



Trudeau reportedly cleared the air on Wednesday morning in a meeting with Trump where he offered "context" for the video but did not apologize.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider, CNN



Apparently still upset by the incident, Trump called Trudeau "two-faced" in a press conference later Wednesday.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider



In his own hot-mic moment, Trump was overheard saying, "That was funny when I said the guy's two-faced."

Reuters

Sources: CNN, Business Insider



Trump then announced he would cancel a press conference scheduled for later that day and head straight back to Washington after his meetings.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider



"We'll go directly back," he said before a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "I think we've done plenty of press conferences — unless you're demanding a press conference, we'll do one — but I think we've had plenty of questions."

Reuters

Source: White House transcript



Photos of the president appeared to show his humiliation after the events of the summit — which might have prompted his early departure.

Reuters

Trudeau, Johnson, and Macron have previously been publicly friendly and diplomatic with the president.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider



Business Insider's Alexandra Ma argued that the events of the summit and the leaders' behavior showed that the world is no longer bothering to take Trump seriously.

Reuters

Source: Business Insider