Face-to-face G7 could be back on cards, Trump claims

World leaders could be expected to travel to US in weeks as president suggests U-turn on cancellation

DONALD TRUMP yesterday said he was considering holding the G7 summit that was cancelled due to coronavirus, raising the prospect of world leaders being asked to fly into America within weeks.

The annual gathering of the heads of the world’s major economies, including Britain, had been due to take place from June 10-12 but was disrupted by the pandemic.

Attendance in person at the US president’s Camp David retreat had been scrapped in March as governments scrambled to put in place measures to slow the spread of the virus.

But posting on Twitter yesterday, Mr Trump suggested that in-person meetings could be back on, arguing that with lockdowns beginning to lift the rescheduling could inspire hope.

“Now that our country is ‘transitioning back to greatness’, I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, DC, at the legendary Camp David,” he wrote.

“The other members are also beginning their comeback. It would be a great sign to all – normalisation!”

If the original starting date of June 10 was kept it would mean world leaders flying into the US capital in less than three weeks’ time. Mr Trump’s post indicated that either Camp David, in Maryland, or an undisclosed location in Washington DC could be picked.

Washington DC has a stay-at-home order that is due to expire on June 8, though it could be lifted earlier.

As well as America there are six other nations in the “Group of Seven”: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

The number of US Covid-19 cases has now surpassed 1.5million, around five times higher than the country with the second-most cases, Russia. More than 93,000 Americans have died.

Mr Trump described the high number of confirmed cases as a “badge of honour” on Tuesday, arguing that it reflected the scale of US testing.

“When we have a lot of cases, I don’t look at that as a bad thing,” Mr Trump said to a reporter during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday afternoon. “I look at that in a certain respect as being a good thing because it means our testing is much better.”

He went on: “So, I view it as a badge of honour. Really, it’s a badge of honour. It’s a great tribute to the testing and all of the work that a lot of professionals have done.”

More than 12.6 million tests have been conducted in America, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by far higher than any other country. However, when tests as a proportion of population is looked at, the data from recent days shows the US trailing many other countries including Britain, Spain, Russia and Italy.

Mr Trump’s consideration of rescheduling the G7 summit reflects his enthusiasm for loosening coronavirus restrictions that have helped force up unemployment to record highs.

Now all 50 US states have started to reopen, though some have only taken limited steps and the speed at which rules are relaxed differs markedly.

Mr Trump lashed out again at Beijing yesterday, suggesting it was the “incompetence” of China’s handling of coronavirus and “nothing else” that “did this mass worldwide killing”.

Meanwhile, Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, denied he pushed for the sacking of the State Department’s inspector general – an internal watchdog – because he was being investigated. Mr Pompeo dismissed as “crazy stuff” the idea that he took action because of inquiries over asking an aide to walk his dog and a Saudi arms deal, insisting any suggestion of retaliation was “patently false”.