Trump Tees Off After Brief G20 Appearance

The president pledges to work 'with you ... for a long time'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2020 5:10 PM CST
Trump Tees Off After Brief G20 Appearance
President Trump drives a golf cart as he golfs at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Trump hit the links Saturday as G20 leaders grappled with the pandemic and America logged a record 198,500 new daily infections, the Guardian reports. The G20 summit's online "Pandemic Preparedness" event featured leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who apparently heard Trump speak before he played golf. "I look forward to working with you again for a long time," he told them in audio obtained by the Observer. He also touted an earlier claim that his Operation Warp Speed funded the world's first two successful COVID-19 vaccines, though it only backed Moderna's, not Pfizer's partnership with the German company BioNTech.

Politico reports that Trump also said he wants Americans to receive the first vaccinations—a stance contradicted by health experts and some world leaders, who say the elderly and front-line health workers should take priority. Trump also appeared to show disinterest in the event by tweeting about his election battles a few minutes after the summit's scheduled 8am start time, per Forbes. The president left the White House for the Trump National Golf Course at 10am and faced a mix of hecklers and supporters as he began the 298th golf trip of his presidency. Media reports are highlighting his pledge to work with the G20 "for a long time" despite his loss to Joe Biden by at least 6 million votes and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College. (See the latest on his election-fraud claims.)

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