G7 2018 Summit in Quebec, Canada: Trump Does Not Handle Tariffs Diplomatically

UK, Germany, U.S., Canada, France, Japan, and Italy

(May, Merkel, Trump, Trudeau, Macron, Abe, Conte)

At the recent G-7 in Quebec, Canada from NY Magazine here (a very fine article).

Highlights up to this point:

French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to sign a six-country agreement omitting the U.S. altogether. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed “to defend our industries and our workers and to show the U.S. president that his unacceptable actions are hurting his own citizens.” 

And, even though Macron has bent over backwards to flatter and placate Trump, he has found his efforts unrewarded for example: After a recent phone call with Trump he labeled it as “terrible” since “Macron thought he would be able to speak his mind, based on the relationship. But Trump can’t handle being criticized like that” (a Macron source told CNN).

Not just U.S. trade and tariff policy but symptom of a larger rearrangement of American alienation from its partners, For example, they have attempted to prevail upon Trump to retain, in some form, a series of agreements such as:

(1) The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

(2) The Paris climate accord

(3) The Iran nuclear deal agreement

In every instance the negotiations foundered on Trump’s allergy to compromise and immunity to reason. Some say, you can’t negotiate a climate plan with a person who considers climate science a Chinese hoax, or you can’t negotiate a trade deal with somebody who believes Canada must be punished for the War of 1812 and burning down Washington and White House.

(Historical Fact: It was England not Canada that torched Washington, not Canada which BTW was not even a state until some 50 years later).

One by one, Trump’s personal relationship with the leader of each major U.S. ally has been fatally poisoned for example:

With German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom Trump had repeatedly taunted and likened to Hillary Clinton during his 2016 campaign. She was the first major leader to give up on Trump, saying through her spokesman: “It’s difficult to overstate just how enraged Germany is about Trump. And, in the UK, newspapers print that Trump has grown frustrated with PM Theresa May and “her school mistress tone.” 

(May publicly corrected Trump’s circulation of fake videos blaming Muslims for violence).

Trump says he sees May “As too politically correct” (Cited by Trump advisers in the Washington Post). 

Seems Trump gripes periodically about Merkel and May, largely because they disagree with him on many issues and have had an uneasy rapport with him.

My 2 Cents: The article says it all very well and concise – and as a matter of fact, Trump was a poor example and very undiplomatic for the U.S. and our long stellar record on trade deals … he failed and our closest and best allies all know it, too.

Not just on his recent tariff “deal” but on a host of other agreements, treaties, deals, and such – in a word he is a dismal failure.

Now the world waits to see how Trump performs with Kim Jong-un when they meet in Singapore June 12 on the most-serious topic of all: Nuclear weapons and peace in Korea.

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by.