'Gamesmanship': Bizarre plane shenanigans between Trump and Putin leave observers in awe
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a stand-off on the tarmac in Alaska because there was a disagreement over which president would deplane first.
Russia announced Friday morning that Trump would deplane and walk over to Putin's plane to welcome him to the United States, a PBS News report said. That didn't happen, however.
For several minutes, press cameras tuned to the doors of each plane as diplomatic negotiations were conducted over exiting the respective planes.
Typically, these matters are worked out by the White House protocol and advance staff. The two ultimately exited seconds apart and met on the tarmac, with Trump deplaning about four seconds before Putin.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper appeared in awe at the stand-off, telling fellow commentators, "It is a diplomatic thing." He called it "gamesmanship."
"Who waits for who?" he joked.
Matt Walton, a never-Trumper and former GOP nominee for Virginia House, wrote on Bluesky, "Putin is already demonstrating his mind games. Making the President of the United States wait on a plane waiting for him. This is a power play that Trump doesn't even realize."