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AWKWARD: Finnish President Pushes President Trump’s Hand Away After He Slaps His Knee [VIDEO]


Finnish media are praising the performance of the Nordic country’s president at a meeting with Donald Trump as “ice-cold strong” despite the fact that the U.S. president used large chunks of their joint news conference to talk about the situation with Ukraine that has prompted an impeachment inquiry, leaving his guest sidelined at times.

Thursday’s newspapers in Finland marked in unison the calmness of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at an emotionally charged White House news conference Wednesday. They said he wisely did not interfere with U.S. domestic politics and “Trump’s nightmare,” as the tabloid Iltalehti put it.

Another tabloid, Ilta-Sanomat, cited a body language expert as saying the two leaders had seemingly good chemistry. It also said Niinisto came out with honors from his meeting with the “explosive” U.S. leader.

Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, noted that the news conference with the leaders showed “two parallel realities” and suggested that Trump “shout less to make reporters hear better.”

In the video below watch Finnish President Sauli Niinistö as he swatted away Trump’s hand after he slapped his knee during a press gaggle in the Oval Office.

 

To some U.S. observers, Niinisto looked uncomfortable at times during the press conference where Trump derided the U.S. media, among other things. Yet Niinisto described the news conference later to FInnish media outlets as “very pleasant.”

After seeing footage of the news conference, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, tweeted that he felt bad for the Finnish head of state and said “Today, we are all Sauli Niinisto.”

(AP)



4 Responses

  1. “To some U.S. observers, Niinisto looked uncomfortable at times during the press conference”

    I like watching these to see if they’re uncomfortable, puzzled, or confused by the US news media when they start screaming over each other, and shoving people to ask inane or ridiculous questions. And now the AP wants to spin it.

  2. First, the Trumpkopf berates the reporters for NOT asking a question to the President of Finland and calls them “rude”. Then the reporter asks President Niinistö a question on the WTO decision earlier this week on European Airbus subsidies, and the Trumpkopf interrupts and starts answering the question by saying how instrumental he was (in getting a decision on a case filed in Geneva by Obama 7 years ago). Niinistö simply looks on in confusion. Tomorrow we will read a Tweet that Trumps has tired of Greenland and wants to buy Finland.

  3. Why is this newsworthy enough to be front-page news? Is there some hidden meaning that we are missing from this interaction?

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