US president throws G-7 unity into disarray as trade spat rises

US President Donald Trump threw the Group of Seven’s (G-7’s) efforts to show a united front into disarray after taking aim at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, adding he might double down on import tariffs by hitting the touchy auto industry.

Having left the G-7 summit in Canada early, Trump’s backing out of the joint communique torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on the trade dispute between Washington and its top allies.

“PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, ‘US Tariffs were kind of insulting’ and he ‘will not be pushed around.’ Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!” Trump tweeted.

Trudeau, the host of the twoday summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, had spoken of retaliatory measures he would take in July in response to Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada, Mexico and the EU.

Trudeau’s office said: “We are focused on everything we accomplished here at the summit. The prime minister said nothing he hasn’t said before … in public, and in private conversations with the president.”

Germany continued to support the “jointly agreed communique” despite Trump’s decision to back away, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

A French presidency official said that France and Europe stood by the G-7 communique and anyone departing from the summit’s commitments would be showing their “incoherence and inconsistency”.

“International co-operation cannot depend on being angry and on sound bites. Let’s be serious,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Trump’s salvo capped a dizzying two days of controversies that began with his suggestion Russia be readmitted to the G-7, then what a French official described as a “rant” full of “recriminations” against US trading partners, followed by Trump’s denial of any contention with leaders at the summit and his description of their relationship as a “10”.