Trump posts about voter ‘fraud’ during G20
President didn’t speak of sharing vaccines with other countries in speech
As leaders from across the globe began a virtual summit discussing issues from the coronavirus pandemic to climate change, Donald Trump’s thoughts were elsewhere — on the tussle over the U.S. election.
The president kept his head down, staring at something on his desk out of sight during a nine-minute speech on Saturday by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who welcomed countries taking part in a meeting of the Group of 20 nations hosted by his kingdom. The speech and footage of other leaders was shown live on the official G20 website.
Then, within moments of the monarch ending his remarks, Trump tweeted to comment on an encounter with Republican leaders of the Michigan state legislature. He promised: “We will show massive and unprecedented fraud!”
Trump’s post was in response to a tweet by Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, who met Trump at the White House on Friday along with House Speaker Lee Chatfield. “We have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan,” Shirkey and Chatfield wrote in a joint statement.
Trump went on to send further tweets alleging voter fraud and commenting on his son, who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. That’s even as leaders continued their discussions in private.
The optics underscored Trump’s disinterest in such forums, with the president often clashing with other leaders during the past four years, especially on issues such as multilateralism, climate change and international trade.
Trump subsequently gave his own opening remarks to the summit, where he said the U.S. under his watch had made the world safer, strengthening NATO, defeating Islamic State and fighting terrorism, according to a European official with knowledge of the proceedings. He claimed America had been efficient in fighting the pandemic while touting low unemployment and what he said was surging demand in the U.S. economy.
Specifically on a COVID-19 vaccine, Trump repeated his long-held stance that “every American” who wanted one should have access, according to another official with knowledge of his remarks — implying such shots should be optional. Unlike other leaders in their comments to the meeting, Trump did not speak of the need to share vaccines around the world, especially with poorer nations.
Shortly after delivering his remarks, Trump left the White House for his Virginia golf club.