United States President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that reports that world leaders laughed at him during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday was “fake news”.
In his speech, Trump had claimed that his administration “has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country”. This drew laughter from the attendees, to which Trump remarked, “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK.”
“They weren’t laughing at me, they were laughing with me,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, according to USA Today. The president claimed the laughter had been “taken out of context and covered unfairly in the media”.
“Well that’s fake news,” Trump said. “That’s fake news and it was covered that way.” He insisted that the leaders he addressed “respect what I have done” and were “having a good time with me”. “I said our country is now stronger than ever before, it’s true,” the president said. “And I heard a little rustle and I said it’s true and I heard smiles.”
United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told Fox News on Wednesday that the leaders laughed because they “love how honest he [Trump] is”. “It’s not diplomatic and they find it funny,” she added. “I saw that the media was trying to make it something disrespectful. That’s not what it was.” She claimed that diplomats were “falling over themselves” to get a picture with Trump after his speech.
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