--- title: Top 11 Embarrassing Diplomatic Moments description: A fond glance back at some of the world's top political leaders making fools of themselves canonical: https://time.com/3578806/top-11-embarrassing-diplomatic-moments/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-11T21:37:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:05.970Z article:section: Politics og:title: Top 11 Embarrassing Diplomatic Moments og:description: A fond glance back at some of the world's top political leaders making fools of themselves og:url: https://time.com/3578806/top-11-embarrassing-diplomatic-moments/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e2cd33615ac1687/69876834e20a87b974a834c3/embarrassing-political-moments-010.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: Boris Yeltsin og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Top 11 Embarrassing Diplomatic Moments twitter:description: A fond glance back at some of the world's top political leaders making fools of themselves twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9e2cd33615ac1687/69876834e20a87b974a834c3/embarrassing-political-moments-010.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Top 11 Embarrassing Diplomatic Moments > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Nov 11, 2014 9:37 PM UTC  Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin probably boogied more than was necessary, but he amused at least one U.S. President and provided entertainment for all. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin probably boogied more than was necessary, but he amused at least one U.S. President and provided entertainment for all. Alexander Zemlianichenko—AP by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Nov 11, 2014 9:37 PM UTC _Read next:_ [_#LightBoxFF: Mark Peterson on the Power of Social Media and Political Satire_](http://lightbox.time.com/2014/04/04/lbff-mark-peterson-on-the-power-of-social-media-and-political-satire/#1?xid=time%5Freadnext)  Before the 2009 G7 meeting in Rome, Japan's Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa was all over the place: slurring his words, answering the wrong questions, and — wait a minute, did he just fall asleep? Though he blamed his cold medicine, the blunder cost him the job. Nakagawa resigned and was replaced by Minister of the Economy Kaoru Yosano. Tiziana Fabi—AFP/Getty Images  During a visit to Tokyo in 1992, 41st President George H.W. Bush became violently ill at a dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, vomiting on the foreign head of state before slumping into an unconscious stupor. His aids passed it off as the flu and a White House spokesperson said, "The President is human." Diana Walker—Time and Life Pictures/Getty Images  At the 2006 G8 Summit, Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed militant group Hezbollah and the U.N.'s inability to mobilize Syria. Which sounds like what world leaders do at these things. But they seem to have forgotten is that these summits are heavily recorded affairs full of microphones and cameras. Bush let it all hang out a bit, even letting a four-letter word slip. Oops? Gilles Bassignac—Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images  The shoulder rub heard around the world seemed to completely skeeve German Chancellor Angela Merkel out. And can you really blame her? Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images  At one of many conferences during the 2007 G8 Summit, then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy apparently arrived late, after a meeting with Vladimir Putin. Perplexingly, Putin is a noted teetotaler; had Sarkozy been drinking for two at lunch? He appeared befuddled, giggly and unsure how to proceed — asking the audience, "Do I answer your questions?" Patrick Kovarik—AFP/Getty Images  Running a country can be tiring work. Unfortunately for Former President Bill Clinton, when he fell asleep during a 2008 memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his mid-speech nap was recorded for all the world to see. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Never mind the serious global financial crisis. Gordon Brown will not put his phone on vibrate. Who cares if he's at the annual World Economic Forum at Davos? Fabrice Coffrini—AFP/Getty Images  While visiting Austria in 1975, President Gerald Ford's knee gave way and he tumbled down the Air Force One stairs. A few more falls (one was even up the stairs) combined with Chevy Chase's Saturday Night Live pratfall routine, earned the former University of Michigan football star a reputation as a bumbling klutz. Peter Bregg—AP  Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin probably boogied more than was necessary, but he amused at least one U.S. President and provided entertainment for all. Alexander Zemlianichenko—AP  Are you from Poland? Then President Jimmy Carter wants to sleep with you. That's what his translator, Steven Seymour, told the then-Communist country during the U.S. President's 1977 visit. Carter said he wanted to learn about the Polish people's desires for the future; Seymour said that Carter desired the Poles. Carter said he was happy to be in Poland; Seymour said he was happy to grasp at Poland's private parts. Carter talked about leaving the U.S. to go on a trip; Seymour said that he had abandoned America forever. Then he spoke Russian — to a nation struggling under the thumb of the Soviet Union. Talk about lost in translation. Bettmann/Corbis  Hey, remember when Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi called Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, "tan?" Yep, it really happened. 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