Trump barrels into G-7 summit, ready to fight U.S. allies

Bruising for a fight, President Donald Trump barreled into the Group of Seven summit Friday, eager to confront longtime U.S. allies over a burgeoning trade dispute and insisting Russia should be brought back into the fold.

Trump joined the leaders of major industrialized nations in an idyllic Canadian resort town after days of escalating conflict over new U.S. tariffs he slapped on imports of steel and aluminum. Facing pointed criticism from increasingly disillusioned allies, he punched back, uncowed by the growing global outcry.

“Look, all of these countries have been taking advantage of the United States on trade,” Trump told reporters as he left the White

House, repeating his longstanding complaints about trade deficits and tariffs. He declared: “We have to straighten it out.”

However, he did seek to lower the temperature after his arrival, bantering easily during a one-on-one meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and joking the neighboring leader had “agreed to cut all tariffs and all trade barriers.”

Still, the fundamental differences remained clear. Trump said he and Trudeau were talking trade and the U.S.-Canada-Mexico NAFTA accord could take a different form. Asked if Trudeau was upset he’d be leaving Canada early, Trump joked, “He’s happy.”