President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Friday in Europe with a series of swipes against the media and his political opponents while hinting at a much-anticipated meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Trump will meet the Russian President later today during the G-20 Leaders' Summit in Hamburg after accusing the country of "destabilising" the European region during a speech in Warsaw alongside Poland's President Andrzej Duda. Trump also said he had "great" meetings with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's President Shinzo Abe ahead of today's key gathering in the northern Germany port city.
The G-20 comes amid an acutely difficult juncture in European-U.S. relations, which have deteriorated markedly since Trump's election in late November and his various forays into regional political and trade affairs, including Britain's efforts to exit the EU and France's contentious Presidential election. Trump's administration has also accused Germany of currency manipulation and taking advantage of the U.S. through unfair trade deals.
The President's decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord has also put him at odds with both European and global leaders, all of whom have vowed to press ahead with climate change legislation without U.S. cooperation.
Trump will also meet with China's President, Xi Jinping, later Friday as the pair continue to struggle to form a coherent plan to combat North Korea's increasingly hostile actions, which culminated in the firing of an inter-continental ballistic missile earlier this week travelled more than 500 miles before landing off the coast of Japan.
During his speech in Warsaw yesterday, Trump vowed to address North Korea's "very,very bad" behaviour but said he wouldn't draw "red lines" even as he promised there would be "public consequences".
"As for North Korea, I don't know, let's see what happens," Trump said in response to a question from the media. ""I have some pretty severe things we're thinking about. Doesn't mean we're going to do them. I don't draw red lines. President Obama drew red lines."
The President also Tweeted two references to the U.S. media, which he again accused of inaccurate reporting of his administration, and reiterated his long-standing view that senior Democratic Party officials did not act quickly or competently enough when faced with evidence of possible Russia hacking attempts during the 2016 election campaign.
