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At summit, Trump favors strongmen over democratic leaders

In this image, Trump and MBS speak in a friendly way to each other.
Trump and Mohammed bin Salman in the G-20 class picture. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images

At the Group of 20 meeting in Osaka, Japan, President Trump "reserved most of the sought-after sit-down time slots for authoritarians or like-minded nationalists with similar views on immigration," the WashPost's Anne Gearan, David Nakamura and Seung Min Kim write.

Catch up quick: Trump has planned meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "who was positioned prominently in the front row next to Trump in the official group photo," per the Post.

  • Trump also met with Brazil’s far-right Jair Bolsonaro; Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won reelection by stoking sectarian tensions; and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who takes a hard line against immigration.
  • "Trump tweeted a friendly invitation to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in the demilitarized zone while the president is in South Korea this weekend."

Headline du jour:

This image of a NYT headline says "Trump and Putin share a chuckle about meddling"
The New York Times

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