G7 Twitter storm on the eve of Singapore summit

Donald Trump took more swipes at Canada and its Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, over trade issues as he tweeted from Singapore, saying that “Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal”.

Trump upset the weekend Group of Seven meeting in Canada by agreeing to a group statement on trade only to withdraw from it while flying to Asia. He complained that he had been

blindsided by Trudeau’s criticism of his tariff threats at a summit-ending news conference. In tweets, Trump called Trudeau “dishonest” and “weak”.

The attack on a longtime ally and its leader drew sharp criticism. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who also attended the summit, said she found Trump’s tweet disavowing the G7 statement “sobering” and “a little depressing”.

She said the European Union would “act” against US trade measures.

Trump, in a multi-tweet rant yesterday, wrote that “Justin acts hurt when called out!”

The US President’s advisers also attacked Trudeau, branding him a backstabber unworthy of Trump’s time.

“There’s a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door,” Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Fox News.

Navarro said Trump “did the courtesy to Justin Trudeau to travel up to Quebec for that summit”.

“And what did Trudeau do as soon as the plane took off from Canadian airspace? Trudeau stuck our President in the back. That will not stand.”