7 Awkward Moments with Trump and World Leaders

Run while you still can

7 times it really sucked for world leaders to be in the room with President Trump.

When Finnish President Sauli Niinistö got caught in the middle of Trump’s impeachment battle. A joint press conference at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland spiraled out of control as reporters began questioning President Trump about a recent whistleblower complaint and an ongoing impeachment investigation. Shortly after the fiery media event, a video began circulating on social media which supposedly showed the Finnish president relaying a few of his thoughts about his White House visit.

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel was left hanging. Coverage of the German chancellor’s first meeting with the new American President was dominated by the incident in which Trump appeared to ignore calls to shake Merkel’s hand.

When he got a little too friendly with French President Emmanuel Macron. The spectacle of their bone-crushing, 29-second-long handshake was surpassed only by their shared planting of a tree on the White House lawn, which was mysteriously removed just days later.

When Vice President Mike Pence was a wallflower during the border security fight. Asked by CNN whether the conditions for the detained single adult immigrants were acceptable, Pence said no.

When he shook hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe for 19 seconds. More than once, the US president has been seen yanking and twisting people’s arms when he’s supposed to be shaking them. He was at it again today, when he held, patted, and jerked around Shinzo Abe’s hand for a full 19 seconds.

When Polish President Andrzej Duda swung by the White House during the Brett Kavanauh hearings. President Trump, in a forced joint press conference with Poland's President Andrzej Duda, said he feels "so badly" and "terribly" for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of assaulting a woman when they were both in high school.

When Columbian President Iván Duque Márquez did the same thing, a week later. President Trump also attacked the Colombian President, grumbling that Duque "has done nothing for us," specifically on reducing illegal drug shipments.

And of course when President Obama handed over the keys. After eight historic years as America’s first black president, Obama departed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and prepared to hand over the keys not to America’s first female president in Hillary Clinton, as he hoped and expected, but to Donald Trump.

Brut.