WASHINGTON: A photo shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada has sent Twitter in splits. Out of a hundred photos taken at the summit, the one posted by Merkel shows her staring down US President Donald Trump while standing behind a table with both hands pressed firmly into its surface atop some documents.
Merkel captioned the picture: "Day two of the G-7 summit in Canada: spontaneous meeting between two working sessions." With a neutral expression, she can be seen staring directly at President Trump, who sits on the other side of the table.
The photo shared on her Instagram account has invited hilarious captions and memes on social media with many calling it an 'iconic photo' of the summit. Merkel and Trump are also surrounded by a slew of other leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.
It is not really known what conversations were going on at the moment when the image was clicked. While many said that the picture sums up Trump's time at G-7, several others called it a 'power dynamic'.
Angela merkel and other leaders at G7. #SaturdayMorning pic.twitter.com/EAV0xcqvkW
— Just Joe (@dannon787) June 9, 2018
We are all Angela Merkel on this blessed G7 day. She is my spirit animal. #G72018 #AngelaMerkel pic.twitter.com/f7BdlTLEZI
— Lindsay (@mck05002) June 9, 2018
Angela Merkel's office has released this photo taken today at the G7, which shows me not caring. @g7 @JustinTrudeau was hiding I guess. pic.twitter.com/A4N15vbe7T
— President Trump (@POTUS_Don45) June 10, 2018
This amazing photo from the G7 is crying out for the 'photoshop out all the men' treatment.
(Merkel really is the leader of the free world now.) pic.twitter.com/2UiEVgEXF5
— Ryan Sheales (@RyanSheales) June 9, 2018
Angela Merkel looks like she's literally telling Trump to take a seat at G7.
Get it, girl. pic.twitter.com/rEKQY7zV0L
— Kaz Weida (@kazweida) June 9, 2018
Donald Trump's body language says it all. Defiance before Germany's Chancellor Merkel at the G7 summit.
— Armando Perez (@iluispc_perez) June 9, 2018
Trump left the #G7 early but by posting this photo, Angela Merkel got the last word. pic.twitter.com/1ny6mj5Wci
— Jean Dunn _ (@jeandunn52) June 9, 2018
Tensions had started to subside during lunch at the summit, when there was a "relatively relaxed discussion". The lunch was attended by the heads of state of Germany, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as by European Council head Donald Tusk and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, as per reports.
The topics that were brought up during lunch -- economic outlooks and artificial intelligence -- are not the most controversial of the summit, as opposed to the issues of trade, climate change and Russia, which had caused tensions to rise.
On the first day of the summit, which is being held in Canada's La Malbaie, Trump pitched the idea of discarding all tariffs and trade barriers between the US and its G-7 allies. Trump will not attend the second day of the two-day summit on account of preparing for the 'historic' summit of him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to be held in Singapore on 12 June.