Before President Donald Trump sits down with a third-generation North Korean autocrat, he will face what may well turn out to be a tougher crowd — some of America’s oldest allies.
With his new tariffs increasing US isolation, Trump heads to Canada on Friday for a meeting of the Group of Seven industrialised nations.
The White House is expecting a chilly reception from Canada and West European countries, already frustrated over Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear agreement.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel previewed the dynamics on Wednesday, telling the German parliament that “it is apparent that we have a serious problem with multilateral agreements here, and so there will be contentious discussions.” Anticipating a tense two days in Quebec, Trump has complained about having to attend the summit, particularly since it comes just before his high-stakes meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said two people with knowledge of his thinking.
But the White House has signalled no change in plans.
“The president wants to go on the trip,” larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, said of the summit in Canada. “The president is at ease with all of these tough issues.
“There may be disagreements,” Kudlow added. “I regard this as much like a family quarrel.”
Trump also is set to hold a series of one-on-one meetings, including with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump is unlikely to back away from the nationalistic policies that have frustrated and unnerved allies but which he sees as key promises to his most loyal voters.
He has highlighted his efforts on Twitter, writing Monday: “The US has made such bad trade deals over so many years that we can only WIN!” Kudlow said allies should understand that Trump “will do what is necessary to protect the US, its businesses and its workforce,” adding that Trump “has always said, and I agree, tariffs are a tool in that effort.”