The president of the United States is not just the leader of the executive branch; the office holder also serves as the country’s lead diplomat on the world stage. Donald Trump currently having that responsibility has many Americans feeling embarrassed.
Throughout his second term, the 79-year-old’s behavior toward his fellow leaders of other countries seemed driven by ego and spite.
Trump once again fueled a media firestorm with his odd behavior during a February 18 event at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where he hosted leaders from over 40 countries. This event marked the first meeting of the “Board of Peace,” created to manage his Gaza ceasefire plan, and featured a photo opportunity with administration officials and the visiting dignitaries.
Vice President JD Vance stood to his right, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood to his left. Chief of staff Susie Wiles and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner were also standing close by.
As the attendees gathered together on risers, with Trump standing in the middle, Laura Branigan’s 1982 cover song “Gloria” played in the background.
The Grammy-nominated disco hit began to grow softer, prompting Trump to say, “I think we have to smile, a lot of good things will happen,” prompting several people on stage to chuckle.
Then the classic Guns N’ Roses single “November Rain” from 1992 began playing as the opening notes inspired Trump to turn slightly to his left before saying, “Does everybody like the music? It’s good music.”
The president got an even more enthusiastic response from two Board of Peace participants, who could be heard trying to shamelessly butter him up by yelling “Y.M.C.A,” his song from the Village People song that is known to be one of Trump’s favorites.
The visual became even more humiliating after noticing Wiles and the two men in the front holding their own hands, others who looked like they were about to pop out of their suit jackets, and the woman dressed in all white.
The smiling former reality star went for an oversized look, rocking his signature navy suit next to other global representatives also dressed in navy, blue, gray or black suits.
They all just stood in place for several seconds as photographers snapped shots before Trump told photographers, “thank you,” aggressively with his mouth.
Video footage of the entire moment has the internet hollering, especially as it zooms in on most of the leaders who remained motionless while “November Rain” was still blasting.
Many noted that Trump looked like a “complete laughing stock on the world stage” on X.
“Everyone now point to them and laugh,” said one person, while another blasted, “They all look like they’re waiting for the principal to finish the assembly so they can go to lunch…”
A third person noticed, “That is a lot of dark suits and awkward posture for a group titled the ‘Board of Peace.'”
Looking at the group as a whole, one person said it looked like an “outtake from an Austin Powers movie!” while another joked, “Look at all those men holding in their stomachs.”
Two other responders to the Trump clip wondered, “Wtf is that all about?” and “Where are the Black leaders??”
An outspoken person ranted, “Humiliating. This isn’t diplomacy — it’s a hostage photo with a playlist. Real leaders build alliances. Trump stages cringe to feel tall. ‘Board of Peace’ looks like a bad awards show: forced smiles, awkward silence, ego in the center. America reduced to a reality-TV prop. And that’s the danger: when the world stops respecting you, it stops listening. So how much damage gets done while he’s busy performing?”
Trump seems to enjoy listening to “Gloria,” going by his excitement at the Board of Peace summit. While the singer of the record died in 2004, Branigan’s legacy manager slammed the former “The Apprentice” host for using the song at the 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally that eventually turned into an attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“It’s absolutely appalling to hear ‘Gloria’ being played in the background of a widely-circulating video of Pres. Trump from yesterday, given the tragic, unsettling, and shameful happenings that occurred at the U.S. Capitol,” Kathy Golik wrote on X a day after the failed coup on Jan. 6, 2021.
As is typically the case when Trump steps into the international arena, his latest diplomatic efforts got blacked out by the cringeworthy spectacle often associated with the former reality television star’s orbit. On this most recent occasion, his uncomfortable vibes left other world leaders appearing submissive as well.
The moment mirrored another humiliating moment with another world leader earlier this month at the National Prayer Breakfast.
During his speech on Feb. 5, Trump struggled to pronounce the name of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, after bragging about how “brave and wonderful” a man he was. Some viewed it as a backhanded compliment meant to be an insult, while others say it was a clear sign of Trump’s brain rotting in real time.
