A NEW G-6 PLUS ONE? AMERICA ON THE OUTS

At issue now is whether the seven nations can conclude their meeting with a joint statement of priorities. France’s finance minister has billed the group as “a G-6 plus one” in reference to Trump’s isolation from other allies. And French President Emmanuel Macron this week threatened to drop the United States from the group’s final agreement altogether.

“The American president may not mind being isolated,” Macron tweeted, “but neither do we mind signing a 6-country agreement if need be. Because these 6 countries

represent values, they represent an economic market which has the weight of history behind it and which is now a true international force.”

It’s not a new debate. Trump’s “America first” agenda triggered widespread criticism at the G-20 summit last year.

Asked about Trump’s tariffs in March, Spain’s Economy Minister Roman Escolano said that most countries at the summit shared the “belief that protectionism is a huge historical mistake.”

Trump’s comments Friday on Russia also could alienate him from his own party.

“This is weak,” said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska in a statement. “Putin is not our friend and he is not the President’s buddy. He is a thug using Soviet-style aggression to wage a shadow war against America, and our leaders should act like it.”

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain put it this way: “This is the antithesis of so-called ‘principled realism’ and a sure path to diminishing America’s leadership in the world.”