FACT CHECK: Did Trump Attend The G7 Summit Without Pen Or Paper?
A meme posted Wednesday by the Progressive Thinking Facebook page claimed that President Donald Trump did not have any note-taking equipment in front of him during a meeting with world leaders.
The meme pictures Trump sitting with his arms crossed and nothing directly in front of him, while other attendees have folders and notebooks. “Trump, the only world leader without notes, folders, or writing tools in front of him because the man has a 10 second attention span,” the meme reads.
Verdict: False
Several other pictures of the same meeting show Trump, like other leaders, either holding a pen or with papers in front of him.
Fact Check:
The image shown in the meme was taken during the 2017 G7 summit, which took place in Taormina, Italy. The G7 is comprised of leaders from seven of the world’s most powerful countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan. The 2017 G7 agenda aimed to take on issues like public safety and environmental sustainability.
The picture in question, taken on May 26, 2017, shows Trump without pen or paper. However, other pictures of the same meeting show the opposite.
Photos taken by Reuters and Getty picture Trump with documents in front of him, and multiple pictures show him holding a black pen.
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) listens to Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni as they sit around a table during the G7 Summit in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
(L-R) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sit around a table during the G7 Summit in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, May 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The next G7 summit, the 45th gathering of the group, is scheduled for the end of August and will take place in France.
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