(CNN) — Surrounded by G7 leaders, President Donald Trump, and Trump alone, can be seen sitting – arms crossed. The scene was captured in a photo during the G7 summit, and the seemingly tense moment did not go unnoticed. Twitter/Steffen Seibert/German Federal Press Office Prior to Trump’s departure for Singapore, international leaders met in Quebec over the weekend for the G7 conference. However, following the summit, Trump tweeted that he was going not going to support the communique, leaving many of the United States’ closest allies aghast. At the moment the photo was being taken, according to two senior diplomatic sources, there was a difficult conversation taking place regarding the communique and the several issues the US had leading up to it. A senior diplomatic source with knowledge of the discussions also said the photo captured an argument on the trade section of the communique. There were two issues of contention between the US and the others, according to the senior diplomatic source. The first issue involved the World Trade Organization. The Trump administration doesn’t like the WTO and didn’t want it mentioned, the source said. Eventually, a compromise was reached for the text, which reads: “We underline the crucial role of a rules-based international trading system.” The second issue was United States’ insistence on “reciprocal” trade, the source said. The compromise on that issue resulted in language that said “free, fair, and mutually beneficial trade and investment, while creating reciprocal benefits, are key engines for growth and job creation.” Diplomatic sources tell CNN that once the final language was agreed upon, it was seen as an achievement since the discussions with Trump were “very intense” and “difficult.” So US allies were much surprised when Trump suddenly began attacking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for comments at a news conference and rescinded his support of the joint statement by the G7. According to one senior European diplomat, “The whole thing doesn’t make sense.” The G7 is made up of seven nations: Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Italy. The communique is a final agreement among the countries that details various shared priorities. Trudeau said during a news conference Saturday that Canada will “move forward with retaliatory measures” on July 1 in response to the Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, the European Union and Mexico. “I have made it very clear to the President that it is not something we relish doing, but it something that we absolutely will do,” Trudeau said. “Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around.” In response, Trump lashed out on Twitter after the summit, tweeting: “Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!” “PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, ‘US Tariffs were kind of insulting’ and he ‘will not be pushed around.’ Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!,” Trump wrote in a second tweet.<doc-sep>Group of 7, or G7, leaders gathered in Canada on Saturday to hash out a statement they all could agree to. Donald Trump ultimately dashed those hopes, but it was that session that produced the summit’s iconic image—or rather, images. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office released a photo (top) that showed her leaning over a table to confront Trump. A White House version (above, left) showed Trump with his arms crossed, smiling as everyone gathered around him. View Full Image Photo: twitter@fabreinbold Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s take was released with a wider frame, making sure the host, absent from most other images, was visible. The G7’s power equation, it seems, lies in the angle of the beholder. View Full Image Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and G7 leaders Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump discuss the joint statement following a breakfast meeting on the second day of the G7 meeting. Photo: Reuters Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.<doc-sep>A viral photo of Angela Merkel and other world leaders standing over a seated Donald Trump at Friday’s G7 summit has been given the meme treatment on social media, with Twitter users quick to liken the image to everything from renaissance art to a scene from the Apprentice. The G7 summit, which brought together world leaders from Germany, Japan, Canada, the US, Italy, France and the UK, was held in Charlevoix, Quebec, in Canada, over the weekend. This year’s summit had a particular focus on trade. However, the enduring image from the summit was one in which divisions between the group were clear. The German chancellor’s office posted the striking picture to Instagram on Saturday with the caption: “Day two of the G7 summit in Canada: spontaneous meeting between two working sessions.” The photograph, which was taken by the German cabinet’s official photographer Jesco Denze, was quickly singled out for its uncanny resemblance to a classical painting. When Art History comes for you. pic.twitter.com/kCeq9nLqiy — Cameron Bailey (@cameron_tiff) June 10, 2018 Ok, because I'm feeling pedantic as fuck, I need to point out that this photo does not look like a Renaissance painting. It looks like a Baroque painting. pic.twitter.com/LvlvcSZjmu — The internet proudly presents: Palle Hoffstein (@Palle_Hoffstein) June 10, 2018 Some Twitter users alluded to the overshadowing tensions between the two world leaders. After Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and recent tariffs on trade, the summit had been renamed by many journalists as the ‘G6 plus one’. Today, as on many days, I would pay hard cash for access to Angela Merkel’s inner monologue. https://t.co/I3w4oOruyT — Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) June 9, 2018 To whomever did this G7 photo-edit - bravo! pic.twitter.com/Bi1lo2kcll — Mark Kermode (@KermodeMovie) June 10, 2018 “Just tell us what Vladimir has on you. Maybe we can help.” pic.twitter.com/DLc7YJFXqT — Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 10, 2018 Anyone is having a better weekend than Angela Merkel right now. #G7Summit pic.twitter.com/K9QmWxHxaP — Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) June 9, 2018 While others just jumped at the chance to have a little fun. This looks like an episode of Celebrity Apprentice where Trump is about to fire Angela Merkel because her strudel marketing plan fell through. pic.twitter.com/ZLYlaDrNts — Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 10, 2018 Leader of the free world meets president of the United States https://t.co/q65rYOoDuE — Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) June 9, 2018 After a calamitous G7 summit, Donald Trump has arrived in Singapore ahead of his historic meeting with Kim Jong-un. The pair plan to discuss the fate of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — Everyone, by now, has seen this photo from the weekend – picturing President Donald Trump surrounded by the leaders of other G7 countries. Twitter/Steffen Seibert/German Federal Press Office And literally everyone knows the whole “a picture is worth 1,000 words” cliche. What’s fascinating to me about the photo above is that it speaks volumes – not necessarily in and of itself, but in how people react to it. It speaks 1,000 words – but those words are totally different depending on what you think of Trump. The picture amounts to a Trump Rohrshach test. If you loathe the President (or have deep concerns about his tendency to fight with our allies and meet with our enemies) photo of Trump, arms crossed and scowling, surrounded by a perplexed world community, is your nightmare. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the face of this frustration – hands splayed on the table, staring at Trump in something that can be rightly described as amazed disbelief. (Merkel’s office sent out the photo, making clear they believe it paints her in a positive – and forceful – light.) Some will identify with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who stands to Trump’s right with a look on his face that reminds me of how I look when I walk in to a pharmacy to fill a prescription and there are 15 people in front of me in line and one cashier. Abe, of course, is no stranger to amazing facial reactions when in the presence of Trump. Let us never forget how he reacted to the classic Trumpian “tug and pull” handshake back in 2017: If you love the President, the G7 photo encapsulates everything you hoped he might be on the world stage. Unlike President Barack Obama – or even President George W. Bush – Trump isn’t hamming it up with a bunch of world leaders. He’s sticking by his guns. He doesn’t care if these people like him or not. He ran to make America great again, not to make Canada/France/Germany great again. Finally, we have a President who is more interested in doing what’s right for his country than doing things that ensure he is well received in European capitals. This photo, for Trump backers, is the visual representation of the President’s famous/infamous pledge when he pulled the US out of the Paris climate accords: “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” Like all great art, what this photo means depends on the person looking at it.