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5 oddest moments from European leaders’ trip to see Trump

Movie buffs will remember “The Magnificent Seven,” the 1960 Western starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn and Horst Buchholz as a group of gunfighters hired to protect a small village in Mexico from marauding bandits.

The 2025 version, which premiered Monday evening, starred Ursula von der Leyen, Mark Rutte, Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni and Alexander Stubb as a group of politicians hired to protect Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the marauding leaders of the United States and Russia.

Unlike Zelenskyy’s last trip (sans European bodyguards) to the White House, no one was shouted at — but there were some weird moments. Here are a few of them …

Black is the new black

In February, Zelenskyy was berated for not wearing a suit on such an important occasion. Back then, Trump greeted the Ukrainian leader, who had donned his signature military attire, by quipping sarcastically: “You’re all dressed up today.” Trump was wearing his signature tie-down-to-the-groin look.

Monday was very different. “I love it,” Trump exclaimed when greeting Zelenskyy, gesturing at the Ukrainian president’s black suit.

“It’s the best I have,” Zelenskyy replied.

The Ukrainian leader also had a quip ready for Brian Glenn of MAGA-friendly cable network Real America’s Voice.

When Zelenskyy visited the Oval Office in February, Glenn scolded Zelenskyy for dressing in military-style attire. “Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re at the highest level in this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit,” Glenn sniped.

This time around, Glenn was full of praise for Zelenskyy’s sharp black outfit, calling the look “fabulous” and “wonderful.”

Trump interjected, “I said the same thing.” Turning to Zelenskyy, Trump added helpfully, “That’s the one that attacked you last time.”

Speaking about NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Donald Trump said he is “a great gentleman, a great political leader generally.” | Pool Photo by Aaron Schwartz via EPA

“I remember that,” Zelenskyy replied dryly, earning chuckles from the room. “You are in the same suit,” he quipped, addressing Glenn without missing a beat. “You see, I changed. You [did] not.”

You guys are fantastic! Popular! Tanned!

At the start of the roundtable discussion, Trump was in a particularly giving mood and paid each visiting EU leader a series of compliments, some more generous and thought-out than others.

Speaking about NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump said he is “a great gentleman, a great political leader generally.”

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was described as a “friend” by Trump, who added: “People like him a lot, you all like him.” That will have come as a surprise to many British voters, who are rather vocal about not liking Starmer one little bit.

France’s Emmanuel Macron earned some unusual praise: “President Macron of France who has been with me from the beginning. I liked him from Day 1 and I like him even more now. That’s pretty good, that’s unusual.” Presumably Trump meant “from the beginning” in the sense of them both becoming country leaders in the same year (2017) and not in the sense that he’s Macron’s father!

Italy’s Giorgia Meloni was described by Trump as an “inspiration” who has served “longer than others.” That’s a backhanded compliment given that Italy has had 68 governments since World War II.

On Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Trump said: “You look better than I have ever seen you look,” which raises the question of how often these guys hang out? Stubb is a good golfer, so maybe it’s more than you’d think.

Germany’s Friedrich Merz was called “a very strong person.” Trump said: “He is my friend and it’s an honor to have him as my friend,” and then came the inevitable tangent: “Where did you get that tan? I want to get that tan.” Surely someone’s making “Merz’s Magical Tanning Lotion” in a factory in Stuttgart right now.

And Ursula von der Leyen? “I think you might be more powerful than all these guys at the table,” Trump said before bursting the very balloon he had just inflated by adding, “I don’t know … ”

Every family has its ups and downs

Every summit has to have a family photo and this one was unusual, at least in part because of the height differences. Merz is 1.98 meters (that’s 6 feet 6 inches) while Meloni is 1.63 meters (or 5 feet 3 inches).

The varying heights of the leaders made the photo look like the early stages of designing a rollercoaster.

France’s Emmanuel Macron earned some unusual praise. | Pool Photo by Aaron Schwartz via EPA

Also, Trump must have been annoyed since at 1.9 meters he’s often the tallest person in the room. Not here, where Rutte and Stubb are almost the same height as the U.S. president and Merz looks down on them all. Also, Macron (who is a fraction shorter than Starmer) is only just shorter than Trump in this image, which is either an optical illusion or the work of stacked heels.

Off topic shocker!

When Glenn, the reporter with one suit mentioned earlier, asked Trump about mail-in ballots, he was reprimanded by the president for asking an “off topic” question. Of course Trump then proceeded to answer it at great length, if not in great detail. He said “you can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots.”

Trump also accused the Democrats of wanting “transgender for everybody” and said “they love crime,” although it was unclear if he meant Democrats love crime or transgender people love crime. Or both.

Hang on, I have Vladimir on the line …

Trump said he was going to call Putin after he was finished with the European leaders but the call took place earlier, with Trump interrupting his guests — and their dinner plans — to talk with the Russian president. This will have given the Europeans plenty of time to wander around the White House looking for the emergency cheeseburger supplies.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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