Trump rejects G-7 message
Trump pulls his endorsement after assailing Trudeau
President rips Canada’s Trudeau, says U.S. is pulling back its endorsement of group’s communique.
LA MALBAIE, Quebec — President Donald Trump threw the G-7 summit into disarray Saturday, tweeting that the U.S. was pulling back its endorsement of the group’s communique in part because of what he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “false statements” at a news conference.
Trump’s tweets from Air Force One, which was flying him to Singapore for the summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, came just as Canada released the group’s official communique, which took a generally positive view of the leaders’ positions on trade matters even though there were tensions with the U.S.
In a pair of tweets, Trump lashed out at his G-7 host, accusing its leader of being dishonest and weak and contending that Canada had taken advantage of U.S. interests. A few hours earlier, Trudeau had told reporters that all seven leaders had come together to sign a joint declaration.
“Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!” the president tweeted.
He followed up by tweeting: “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!”
Before he departed, Trump had delivered a stark warning Saturday to America’s trading partners not to counter his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
But Trudeau, whose nation is among those singled out by Trump, pushed back and said he would not hesitate to retaliate against his neighbor to the south.
“If they retaliate, they’re making a mistake,” Trump declared before he left the annual summit.
Trudeau later said he reiterated to Trump that tariffs will harm industries and workers on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. He said unleashing retaliatory measures “is not something I relish doing” but that he wouldn’t hesitate to do so because “I will always protect Canadian workers and Canadian interests.”
Despite the differences, Trudeau said all seven leaders had come together to sign a joint declaration despite having “some strong, firm conversations on trade, and specifically on American tariffs.”
It was after learning of Trudeau’s remarks that Trump canceled his endorsement. Trump’s abbreviated stay at this Quebec resort saw him continuing the same type of tough talk on trade as when he departed the White House, when he accused Trudeau of being “indignant.”
The summit came during an ongoing trade dispute with China and served as a precursor to the unprecedented meeting with Kim, in which Trump has sought to extend a hand to the Asian autocrat who has long bedeviled the international order.
Speaking on Saturday during a rare solo news conference, Trump said he pressed for the G-7 countries — which in addition to the U.S. and Canada includes Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — to eliminate all tariffs, trade barriers and subsidies in their trading practices. He reiterated his long-standing view that the U.S. has been taken advantage of in global trade, adding, “We’re like the piggy bank that everybody’s robbing and that ends.”
He said U.S. farmers had been harmed by tariffs and other barriers and warned that U.S. trading partners would need to provide more favorable terms. “It’s going to stop or we’ll stop trading with them,” he said.
Trump cited progress on reaching an agreement on the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, saying the final outcome would lead either to an improved trade deal or separate pacts with the two U.S. neighbors. Trump said he was discussing two types of sunset provisions in which any of the countries could leave the deal.
But Trudeau objected to a sunset clause of any length. “If you put an expiry date on any trade deal, that’s not a trade deal. That’s our unequivocal position,” he said.