Trudeau Gossiping About Trump Will Look Familiar If You’ve Ever Had a Job
Workplace dynamics are always the same: Meetings apparently last forever! Office jerks: We all have one! (Except me, that is, leading me to question whether I am, in fact, the office jerk. I do reheat a lot of curries in the communal microwave.) Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau proved that he’s no exception to the rule earlier this week, when he and other world leaders were caught on camera venting about U.S. president Donald Trump.
The 25-second clip, which was first reported by CBC, shows Trudeau with French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Boris Johnson, and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte engaging in a bit of NATO-summit debriefing about Trump at a Buckingham Palace event:
The world leaders never mention Trump by name, adhering to the number one gossip decree—that one must always cover one’s tracks—but it’s pretty clear who they’re talking about. “Is that why you were late?” Johnson asks, to which Macron nods and Trudeau replies, “He was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference at the top.” I wonder which world leader they could be referring to? (Listen, when the Trump White House holds a press briefing at all, it’s a win.)
Trump has responded to the video, dismissing Trudeau as “two-faced,” but it appears the world leaders’ jabs had some effect; Trump canceled plans for a news conference planned to be held after the NATO summit.
Two things are striking about this video: One, we are all just Jims and Pams complaining about Michael Scott at the watercooler, no matter what lofty position we might rise to; and two, really? This is what world leaders have to say about Trump off the record?
Of course it makes sense that Macron, Trudeau, Johnson, and Rutte would refrain from absolutely going off about Trump at a formal, monarchy-associated event, but come on: no mention of, say, Trump’s unprecedented support for a Navy SEAL accused of bloodthirsty war crimes? Not even an easy crack about his hair? Sirs, any randomly assembled group of disgruntled office workers could do better than this on an off day.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
