Donald Trump returned to social media to criticize the press over reports of his alleged undisclosed meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held July 7-8 in Hamburg, Germany. In his Twitter tirade, the U.S. president accused the media of "becoming more and more dishonest" for making a story out of an ordinary dinner arranged for the G20 leaders.
Fake News story of secret dinner with Putin is "sick." All G 20 leaders, and spouses, were invited by the Chancellor of Germany. Press knew!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2017
The Fake News is becoming more and more dishonest! Even a dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany is made to look sinister!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2017
What happened at the G20 summit?
His statements came after several media outlets claimed that Trump and Putin held a second meeting following the first.
According to New York Times, the U.S. leader had an hour-long discussion with his counterpart with the help of a Russian translator.
The White House confirmed that the two had a discussion while G20 leaders and their spouses were having a meal and clarified that there was nothing significant about Trump's "brief" conversation with Putin. The White House also emphasized that the interaction took place with other top leaders around the table.
The American leader was reportedly seated next to Japan's Shinzo Abe and Abe's wife, while Melania Trump was seated next to Putin. The White House, in a statement, said Trump approached his wife and took the opportunity to speak with the Russian leader. "It is not merely perfectly normal, it is part of a president's duties, to interact with world leaders," it added.
The statement argued that it was not a "second meeting" but a "brief conversation" between the two leaders. The U.S. government, however, could not provide a record of the controversial conversation as the only witness was the Russian translator.
An unnamed official denied that the White House intended to hide Trump's conversation with Putin at the G20 summit.
However, their non-transparency of the intimate encounter has raised speculation on the relationship between the current administration and Russian government.
Trump's first meeting with Putin
The alleged undisclosed meeting took place on the same day Trump and Putin had their first bilateral meeting, wherein the American president pressed the Russian leader regarding their interference in the U.S. elections.
Rex Tillerson confirmed that the U.S. leader directly asked his Russian counterpart regarding Moscow's intrusion.
Putin denied the allegation and reportedly asked Trump to provide evidence that would prove Russia's involvement in U.S. election hacking last year. “What the two Presidents, I think rightly, focused on is how do we move forward," the state secretary added.
