Trump tweets on election results, skips pandemic session during G20

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It was a fitting end to Trump’s career in global multilateralism, for which he has expressed his displeasure since his first group summit – a G7 meeting held on a cliffside in Sicily – has given the feeling he was tied up by other world leaders.

It was not known all week if Trump would even be present for this year’s G20, which is being held virtually because of the pandemic. But on Friday night, the White House released a schedule confirming its participation.

When the event began, Trump was among nearly two dozen world leaders who appeared by video conference, beaming from the White House situation room.

But just 13 minutes after the scheduled 8 a.m.ET start time, Trump was tweeting focused on his efforts to overturn the U.S. presidential election results.

At 10 a.m.ET, the President had left the White House for his namesake golf club outside of Washington, DC.

Biden's margin of victory widens as Trump's subversion efforts grow more frantic

He was there when the ‘Pandemic Preparedness Side Event’ kicked off, with remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and several other world leaders . Trump did not participate.

He is due to join another G20 session on Sunday morning, according to the White House schedule. But this is likely the last time Trump will meet at a summit with other world leaders as he nears the end of his presidency.
Trump’s influence on the world stage is at a low ebb after losing the election. Most other G20 leaders congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his victory, with the notable exception of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

There hadn’t been high expectations for this year’s G20, despite a pandemic that will require global efforts to contain the virus. This is in part due to the lack of US leadership, but other world leaders have also struggled to bring their counterparts together in a joint effort to fight Covid-19.

Trump was never fond of summit meetings, even when they did not take place virtually. He left a G7 meeting in Canada early and canceled his signature on his final communiqué. Ahead of last year’s G7 in Biarritz, France, he asked his staff if it was really necessary to attend.

It was Trump’s turn to host the G7 this year, but the pandemic thwarted plans to host leaders in the United States. At one point, Trump raised the possibility of convening the G7 after the election, but officials say there is no plan in place to hold a meeting before the G7 presidency is transferred to the UK. in January.

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