Trump shocks G7 with Trudeau insult as he torpedoes summit
White House takes up fight with ‘backstabbing’ Canada PM
QUEBEC CITY: President Donald Trump broadsided his allies and upended a Group of Seven meeting just as it wound up — disavowing a joint statement the US had agreed to, lashing out at Canada’s Justin Trudeau and ratcheting up trade tensions.
Trump fired off a pair of tweets several hours after leaving the summit in Canada to fly to Singapore for another on North Korea. Trudeau and other leaders had given closing press conferences and announced a US-backed joint G-7 statement. Minutes after that statement was published online, Trump complained about comments made by Trudeau and revoked his support.
“I have instructed our US Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the US Market!,” Trump tweeted on Saturday evening, saying he was responding to Trudeau. “Very dishonest & weak,” he said of the Canadian prime minister.
His comments undermine the G-7, once a pillar of US foreign policy and has long acted as a defender of the global economic system.
Trump’s remarks came shortly after Trudeau projected an image of cooperation. At his closing press conference, he announced all G-7 nations had worked hard to finalise a joint statement, which largely committed them to keep talking on trade.
“Those who doubted our capacity to work together will