Donald Trump appeared to get on famously with other world leaders as he worked the room at a UN General Assembly luncheon on Tuesday.
Photos show the president cheerfully chatting with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while South Korea’s Moon Jae-In listens in.
Afterwards, Trump triumphantly tweeted: ‘A great and important day at the United Nations.
‘Met with leaders of many nations who agree with much (or all) of what I stated in my speech!’
Trump was photographed chatting enthusiastically with Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) at a UN luncheon on Tuesday; South Korea’s Moon Jae-In is seen far right
Trump (second from right) peers at something being held by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (far right) during the meal. The groups exchanged seats so they could chat
Trump later boasted on Twitter that he had met ‘leaders of many nations… agree with much (or all) of what I stated in my speech!’
Trump was initially sat between Guterres and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Photos show him leaning in to look at something – likely a phone – that Guterres and others are peeking at.
Also at the power table were a gaggle of presidents: Switzerland’s Doris Leuthard, Ecuador’s Lenin Moreno, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania and Alpha Conde of Guinea.
They were rounded out by King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Later in the meal they appeared to have played a game of musical chairs, switching up their positions to allow the group to mingle.
That led to a jovial-looking Trump chatting and gesturing to Erdogan while a smiling Moon looked on.
As one wag spotted later on, the starters included arugula – named on the menu as ‘rocket’ – the same day Trump debuted his ‘Rocket Man’ nickname for Kim Jong-Un.
Trump might perhaps have been less cheerful at the meal if he’d known that Erdogan had, earlier in the day, claimed that the US president had called him to apologize for some May-time unpleasantness.
Trump was seen raising a class of what appeared to be wine in a toast to Guterres. Though he is a teetotaler, he does bend his rules on occasion. He also appeared to skip the first course’s white and jump straight to the second course’s Cabernet Sauvignon to make the toast
Also Tuesday, Erdogan said Trump had apologized last week for a May incident when his bodyguards were arrested for beating up Kurdish protesters in DC. The White House denied that Trump had made that remark, saying Erdogan’s comments were ‘not true’
Erdogan’s bodyguards were seen in DC that month violently attacking protesters during their visit. Arrest warrants were subsequently issued.
The Turkish president told PBS NewsHour on Tuesday that Trump had apologized for the incident last week. Erdogan had branded the arrest warrants ‘unacceptable’.
‘[Trump] said that he was sorry and that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework for an official visit,’ Erdogan claimed on Tuesday.
That was refuted later on Tuesday when the White House told Newsweek: ‘the comments are not true and the President did not apologize.’
Why – assuming that is indeed the case – Erdogan would make those claims is a mystery.
Equally mysterious was why Trump gave two toasts at the United Nations following his General Assembly speech.
The president is famously against alcohol consumption: His brother Fred Jr. died due to alcoholism in his 40s.
But there he was, hoisting what looked like a fine Cabernet, toasting ‘the potential – the great, great potential – of the United Nations,’ and appearing to take two sips before passing the stemware to an aide.
He later raised a similar glass at the dinner table, toasting Gutteres.
The wines on the menu were a French Sancerre, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and a 40-year-old porto from Guterres’ home country of Portugal.
Trump appeared to make his toast with the Cabernet Sauvignon, which was poured for the second course, while the others were still drinking the Sancerre.
Ten minutes after boasting of his success at the UN on Twitter, Trump also tweeted: ‘I was saddened to see how bad the ratings were on the Emmys last night – the worst ever. Smartest people of them all are the “DEPLORABLES.”‘
Later in the day, demonstrators gathered outside the UN to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. This woman’s sign reads ‘Stop racism, stop Netanyahu. Stop Trump’
Some of the protesters were Jewish, such as these men, who held up signs reading ‘Judaism yes! Zionism no! State of Israel must go!’
White House Communications Director Hope Hicks didn’t respond to a question about whether Trump made a rare exception to his teetotaling.
But rumors abounded on Twitter, largely pushed by reporters who know about the president’s preference for taking a pass on all things intoxicating.
‘Is that wine or Diet Coke for Trump?’ asked NPR lead politics editor Domenico Montanaro.
NBC host Katy Tur chimed in: ‘Trump famously doesn’t drink because of his brother, Fred. It looks like he just had a sip of wine. Has anyone else seen that before?’
Politico reporter Annie Karni ventured that Trump was ‘giving a toast with a glass of red wine in his hand. Took a sip.’
Bloomberg White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs cautiously called it ‘maroon liquid.’ Fox News correspondent Ellison Barber said it ‘seems to be wine.’
One Trump fan fired back: ‘Any chance that wasn’t wine in POTUS glass? At church we have bread and grape juice, not bread and wine. They do look alike.’
Donald Trump raised a wine glass to toast the United Nations on Tuesday, prior to his other toast at the UN luncheon
Trump, who famously avoids drinking because his brother died of alcoholism in his 40s, appeared to sip twice
If the president did bend his rule for Tuesday’s special occasion, it wouldn’t be the first time.
He said during a 2015 Family Leadership Summit that drinking communion wine is part of his religious life.
Trump was asked onstage by pollster Frank Luntz if he has ever sought forgiveness from the almighty.
The future president initially said no, and then allowed that ‘when we go in church, and when I drink my little wine – which is about the only wine I drink – and have my little cracker, I guess that’s a form of asking for forgiveness.’
Trump’s United Nations toast spoke of how the global body he once ripped has ‘tremendous potential.’
In the past he has called the UN ‘not a friend of democracy’ and blasted its ‘utter weakness and incompetence.’
Donald Trump said in 2015 that one form of seeking forgiveness from God comes ‘when we go in church, and when I drink my little wine – which is about the only wine I drink’
But at the start of Tuesday’s lunch, Trump spoke of the ‘great honor’ of having the UN in his hometown.
‘For years I’ve been a critic, but I have also been somebody that said that the United Nations has tremendous potential,’ Trump said, as Gutteres looked on.
‘I have to say that as someone born in New York and raised in New York it is a great honor to have the United Nations in New York and always has been,’ the president said.
‘We are working very hard to solve world problems, but there is no better forum – there can be no better forum – and certainly there can be no better location where everybody comes together,’ he said.
Trump continued: ‘So I want to congratulate you. The word is “potential.” The potential of the United States in terms of what it’s done has been wonderful, but we can do better and we’re going to. The potential of the United Nations is unlimited.’
‘And I really believe, and I met your representatives and I know you well, you are going to do things that will be epic.
‘And I certainly hope you will, but I feel very, very confident. So I just want to toast everybody in the room.’