Some media outlets are having a field day calling out President Donald Trump for having a second, “undisclosed meeting” with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G-20 summit earlier this month in Germany.
But the “meeting” outlets such as CNN are referring to was an informal conversation held over the course of a G-20 dinner that was attended by dozens of people.
(Twitter)
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that the “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!”
(Twitter)
“The Fake News is becoming more and more dishonest,” Trump exclaimed. “Even a dinner arranged for top 20 leaders in Germany is made to look sinister.”
(Twitter)
Earlier this month, Trump and Putin met in person for the first time, for more than two hours, in a private meeting at the G-20 summit. The meeting was highly anticipated and very publicized.
This week, news of a second “meeting” during a dinner, where dozens of people were present, surfaced.
CNN seemingly led the charge on the story, putting up headlines such as: “Trump, Putin met for nearly an hour in second G20 meeting”
(CNN.com)
And: “Donald Trump is trying to pull a bait and switch on his 2nd meeting with Putin.”
(CNN.com)
In the second story, CNN Editor-at-Large Chris Cillizza says the fact that Trump and Putin “huddled” at dinner is “news.”
“The meeting […] was previously undisclosed and, given the nature of Russia’s aggressive meddling in the 2016 election, is something we need to know more about,” Cillizza wrote.
(CNN.com)
Other news outlets, including The New York Times and Washington Post, also focused on the fact that the meeting was “undisclosed.”
The New York Times referred to it as an “undisclosed, private conversation,” where the Washington Post said Trump had an “undisclosed hour-long meeting.”
Vox reported that it was a “big problem” that Trump had the second meeting with Putin because only Putin’s translator was present, meaning Russia would have the only record of what was said during the meeting.
Meanwhile, one Twitter user posted a photo of the “meeting” during the G-20 dinner:
(Twitter)
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