Trump ridicules Obama's chaotic arrival and snub in China and claims he would have stormed off if he were 'disrepected' in the same way
- Obama arrived in Hangzhou for the Group of 20 summit on Saturday
- Chinese officials approved a rolling staircase provided by the US military, only to reverse their decision once Obama arrived
- Obama ended up using built-in airstair reserved for high-security landings
- A former ambassador to China said the incident was a deliberate snub
- Trump called it 'a sign of such disrespect' said he would have closed the doors and flown home
While Obama tried to smooth over a rocky start to his trip in China, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump fanned the flames and said he would not have tolerated such 'disrespect'.
Obama arrived in Hangzhou on Saturday for the Group of 20 summit, but tensions over the use of a rolling staircase mounted before the president unceremoniously descended from Air Force One's built-in steps.
On the tarmac, a Chinese official yelled at White House staff and members of the press on the tarmac, screaming: 'This is our country! This is our airport!'
At a meeting with labor leaders in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday, Trump said: 'If that were me, I’d say: "You know what, folks, I respect you a lot, let’s close the doors, let’s get out of here."'
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While Obama tried to smooth over a rocky start to his trip in China, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump fanned the flames and said he would not have tolerated such 'disrespect'
While Obama tried to smooth over a rocky start to his trip in China, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump insulted the president and fanned the flames on Twitter
Chinese officials had approved a rolling staircase provided by the US military, only to reverse their decision once Obama arrived. He exited out the hatch steps instead
Pictured, Obama descending a red-carpeted rolling stairway in Beijing in November 2014
Trump reiterated his thoughts on Twitter, writing: 'Can you believe that the Chinese would not give Obama the proper stairway to get off his plane - fight on tarmac!'
Trump also criticized the President for failing to come to an agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Syria.
'President Obama & Putin fail to reach deal on Syria - so what else is new?' Obama is not a natural deal maker. Only makes bad deals!'
Earlier Mr Obama had expressed his hope that a deal would be reached with Syria, but any chance of that happening appeared to fall away quickly on Sunday.
The Hangzhou arrival of Obama on Saturday was farcical, with the President being forced to use the Air Force One's built-in steps after officials had trouble negotiating the use of a rolling staircase.
On top of that, a Chinese official yelled at White House staff and members of the press on the tarmac, screaming: 'This is our country! This is our airport!'
A Chinese official shouted at members of the White House press corp for being too close to the president and declared 'This is our country!' when an aide protested
Chinese officials had approved a rolling staircase provided by the US military, only to reverse their decision once Obama arrived, a senior administration official told the NYTimes.
White House officials were willing to use a stairway provided by the Chinese, but a request to send the equipment with an English-speaking driver instead of a local one was rejected.
A Chinese official told the South China Morning Post it was the US that rejected a plan from the Chinese proposing they send a translator with the driver so they could understand security instructions.
Chinese officials finally went back to square one and allowed Obama to use their own stairway, but by that time it was too late, the Times reported.
The US military typically flies in its own stairway on foreign trips, and the built-in hatch steps are reserved for high security situations.
Jorge Guajardo, the Mexico's former ambassador to China, insisted it was not a mistake, and told the Guardian: 'These things do not happen by mistake. It’s a snub. It’s a way of saying: "You know, you’re not that special to us."
'It’s part of the new Chinese arrogance. It’s part of stirring up Chinese nationalism.'
Obama offered a diplomatic answer when he was later asked about his arrival. He said: 'It's not the first time it has happened. It doesn't just happen in China'
Obama (right with Chinese president Xi JinPing) added: 'We think it's important that the press have access to the work that we are doing...And we don't leave our ideals and values behind when we take those trips'
Chinese officials had approved a rolling staircase provided by the US military, only to reverse their decision once Obama arrived, a senior administration official told the NYTimes.
White House officials were willing to use a stairway provided by the Chinese, but a request to send the equipment with an English-speaking driver instead of a local one was rejected.
A Chinese official told the South China Morning Post it was the US that rejected a plan from the Chinese proposing they send a translator with the driver so they could understand security instructions.
Chinese officials finally went back to square one and allowed Obama to use their own stairway, but by that time it was too late, the Times reported.
The US military typically flies in its own stairway on foreign trips, and the built-in hatch steps are reserved for high security situations.
Jorge Guajardo, the Mexico's former ambassador to China, insisted it was not a mistake, and told the Guardian: 'These things do not happen by mistake. It’s a snub. It’s a way of saying: "You know, you’re not that special to us."
'It’s part of the new Chinese arrogance. It’s part of stirring up Chinese nationalism.'
Bill Bishop, an expert on China who lived in the country for 10 years, agreed with Guajardo and told the Guardian: 'This clearly plays very much into the [idea]: |Look, we can make the American president go out of the ass of the plane."'
But many Chinese news outlets painted a different picture, pointing to the arrogance shown by the Americans in the situation.
Regardless of the intentions behind the chaos, tensions were high on the tarmac as well after a Chinese official shouted at members of the White House press corp.Share
Reporters accompanying Obama on his trips are usually brought under the wing of the Boeing 747 to watch him disembark.
On Saturday, the reporters were corralled behind a blue rope installed by Chinese security, but one official deemed it was still 'too close' and yelled: 'This is our country!'.
Even the US National Security Adviser Susan Rice was also told off before a Secret Service agent ushered her forward.
Even the Defense Intelligence Agency weighed in, writing 'Classy as always China' to its 83,000 followers before deleting the tweet
About four hours later, the DIA issued an apology and said the offending tweet was 'mistakenly posted'
The president tried to smooth things over when he addressed the incident, saying: 'It can cause some friction. It's not the first time it has happened. It doesn't just happen in China.
'It happens in other countries where we travel. I think that this time, though, the seams were showing a little more.'
'We think it's important that the press have access to the work that we are doing, that they have the ability to answer questions. And we don't leave our ideals and values behind when we take those trips.'
Even the American Defense Intelligence Agency weighed in, linking to a NYTimes article about the incident and tweeting: 'Classy as always China' to its 83,000 followers before it was deleted.
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