Trump trolled with video of leaders mocking him as he claims world ‘didn’t laugh’ at US when he was president
Former president says world leaders ‘didn’t laugh when I was there’ despite 2018 video showing otherwise
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Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Former President Donald Trump was trolled with a video of leaders mocking him after he claimed that the world “didn’t laugh” at the US when he was president.
Mr Trump was going after Washington Post journalists Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker for their new book I Alone Can Fix It, in which the reporters describe a moment when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed her worries that then-President Trump would be willing to use nuclear weapons after the election.
“Nancy Pelosi is a known nut-job,” the Trump statement said. “Her enraged quotes that she was afraid that I would use nuclear weapons is just more of the same. In fact, I was the one that got us out of wars, not into wars. And I was the one who got respect for our Country again, not like now when the leaders of the entire World are laughing at us. They didn’t laugh when I was there!”
Ms Pelosi spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs General Mark Milley, wanting to be reassured that Mr Trump wouldn’t be able to use nuclear weapons during his final days in office.
While it was already known publically that Ms Pelosi had spoken to Gen Milley, the contents of the discussion were not public. After Defence Secretary Mark Esper was fired in November 2020, Ms Pelosi and other lawmakers spoke to Gen Milley over the phone.
“We are all trusting you,” Ms Pelosi told Gen Milley, according to the book. “Remember your oath.”
After the insurrection on 6 January, Ms Pelosi spoke to Gen Milley again, telling him that Mr Trump was “crazy,” “dangerous,” and a “maniac”.
“Ma’am, I guarantee you these processes are very good,” Gen Milley reportedly responded. “There’s not going to be an accidental firing of nuclear weapons.”
“How can you guarantee me?” Ms Pelosi asked.
“Ma’am, there’s a process,” Gen Milley said. “We will only follow legal orders. We’ll only do things that are legal, ethical, and moral.”
Mr Trump issuing a statement saying “they didn’t laugh when I was there” led to the republishing of a video of a Trump speech at the United Nations in September 2018 when world leaders in the room laughed at Mr Trump after he said: “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.”
In December 2019 during a NATO summit, world leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and a woman who appeared to be Princess Anne of the UK, seemingly mocked Mr Trump behind his back during a discussion at Buckingham Palace.
In the interaction that was captured on video and subsequently went viral, Mr Johnson is heard asking Mr Macron, “Is that why you were late?”
“He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top,” Mr Trudeau added, appearing to be referring to Mr Trump.
The Canadian Prime Minister later added, “you just watched his team’s jaws drop to the floor,” seemingly referring to Mr Trump’s aides.
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