From the awkward grip and grin photos, strange geopolitical bromances and the “Baby Trump” blimp, events on the sidelines of the G-20 offer colorful glimpses of the people behind the high stakes summit in Buenos Aires.
Leading up to the summit, much attention focused on President Donald Trump‘s meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and highly anticipated conversations between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — events which could affect trade policies and relationship with allies in the United States.
But at the gathering of the most high-profile political leaders in the world in one place, not everything goes as planned or expected. Here are five of those moments so far.
On Thursday, when world leaders arrived in Argentina’s capital city, hundreds of people gathered outside Argentina’s congress to oppose the G-20 summit and the International Monetary Fund. Floated near the gathering was the big “baby Trump” blimp, a balloon depicting the leader at the center of the spotlight this weekend holding a cellphone in a diaper.
The same kind of 20-foot-tall balloon floated near Britain’s Parliament in London in July as a symbol of opposition to Trump’s policies on immigration, race relations, women, climate change and more.
“I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London,” Trump said of the time of the protests ahead of his visit.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman and the French President Emmanuel Macron shared a rather long chat on Friday. According to Reuters, audio caught bin Salman telling Macron not to worry to which Macron replied, “I am worried.”
An Elysee official told Reuters it was the first time the two had spoken since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in October at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
As world leaders flocked into the summit room to take their seats, Mohammad bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin embraced each other with a friendly and enthusiastic high-five-shake and big smiles.
Bin Salman has been at the center of the international spotlight over whether he is responsible for Khashoggi’s murder.
Russia, on the other hand, recently did not return Ukrainian ships and its crews that Russia seized near Crimea, causing Trump to cancel a highly anticipated meeting with Putin.
Argentinian President Mauricio Macri was left alone on stage during a photo opportunity as Trump left the stage. It is unclear whether it was a misunderstanding, but Macri is seen in a video calling Trump back.
As Macri shared greeting remarks, Trump held his translation earpiece with his hands then soon took it off.
“I think I understood you better in your language than I did on this. But that’s OK,” Trump said dropping his earpiece on the floor beside him.
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