President of Finland Sauli Niinistö’s reaction to Donald Trump’s touching him during their joint press appearance in the Oval Office has triggered a storm on Twitter, as many suggested that this European head of state looked like he wished to be anywhere else but there at the time.
The US president patted his Finnish counterpart on the leg as a journalist asked about Finland being the happiest country in the world and what he could learn from it. However, Niinistö reached his hand out as if he had wanted to stop Trump from getting too frisky. While Trump called Niinistö a “happy leader”, the Finnish guest’s body language signalled that he did not seen so happy at all, as many commenters suggested.
Has anyone checked in on the president of Finland? He looked kind of traumatized.
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 3, 2019
Trump: BFF?
— Robert De Niro (@RobertDeNiroUS) October 2, 2019
Finnish President: Touch me ONE MORE TIME and I swear to God...
Finland #TrumpMeltdown pic.twitter.com/epgAqz8rkt
Finland’s President swatted Trump’s hand away after Trump touched his knee, is not a sentence I ever thought would ever have to be said. Trump’s a walking embarrassment. #donothingdonald pic.twitter.com/iPJl0mIv6w
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) October 2, 2019
The Finnish president’s expression also prompted some to suggest that the relations between the two leaders might be complicated and that talking to Trump seemed like a traumatic experience for Niinistö.
Hello @realDonaldTrump...heard you just gave me a shout out in the Oval Office.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 2, 2019
Actually watched your press conference — mainly just feel bad for the poor President of Finland who had to endure that.
Today, we are all Sauli Niinistö. pic.twitter.com/jUgGWQueQC
Has anyone checked in on the president of Finland? He looked kind of traumatized.
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 3, 2019
The President Of Finland Looks Like He Wants To Run Away As Trump Loses It Over Impeachment https://t.co/cBQZ4HCOyd
— Welby G. BERTRAM (@WelbyGBERTRAM) October 3, 2019
President of Finland is a mood. pic.twitter.com/o3D90JgkkR
— Dan Zak (@MrDanZak) October 2, 2019
The president of Finland during all that pic.twitter.com/Nz6rrKiOGi
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) October 2, 2019
Some joked that the Finnish president's reaction resembled a scene from the TV series The Office.
#trumpmeltdown #25thAmendmentNow
— excited whore for halloween 🎃💀 (@Yuppersssss) October 2, 2019
president of Finland: *looks into the camera like he’s on The Office* pic.twitter.com/IoXDCoiDVZ
Tfw you’re President of Finland, but also Jim from The Office. pic.twitter.com/Ikcxbna1dg
— Susie Meister (@susie_meister) October 2, 2019
Although Niinistö’s state marked the 100-year anniversary of US-Finland friendship, it was the impeachment inquiry the journalists at the joint press conference seemed more concerned about, bombarding Trump with questions about allegations.
As bad luck would have it, their meeting came on the day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Schiff announcing a news conference on the impeachment proceedings launched by the House Democrats last week. Trump also went on the Twitter offensive against the Democrats on the day of the meeting, accusing them of “trying to undo the Election regardless of facts”.
The impeachment inquiry was initiated after an anonymous whistleblower, thought to be from CIA's ranks, raised an alarm alleging that Trump had abused his power in a 25 July conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The US president is said to have "pressured" his Ukrainian counterpart into initiating an investigation into former US Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s dealings in the Eastern European country.
Trump repeatedly refuted the accusations against him and labelled the impeachment probe a “hoax” and a “coup” which he claimed is aimed to “take away the power of the people” and destroy the Republican Party.
