Donald Trump at odds with world leaders at G7 Summit

The president cited Trudeau’s “false statements at his news conference” for his reason for reversing course, and then threatened to “look at tariffs on automobiles flooding the USA market”.

That move was met with criticism at home, including from Republicans, and announcements of retaliatory tariffs from USA allies.

In a statement, a spokesman for Trudeau did not address Trump’s insults.

Trudeau’s office responded to Trump’s tweets with a statement. And he was also asked for his thoughts on what Trump’s move could mean for the future of the G7. “It’s a lovely evening, a great weekend”.

Trump’s personal attack on Trudeau is unprecedented in the countries’ longstanding relationship.

Canada and the European Union have denounced the USA tariffs as illegal and unjustified and Ottawa has proposed levies on a range of US goods next month while the European Union has pledged its own retaliatory measures.

However, new Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte threw his weight behind Trump’s call for Russian Federation to be included, saying on Twitter it would be “in the interests of everyone”.

Trump heading to Quebec for the meeting with the leaders of the other so-called G7: Canada France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

“I have made it very clear to the President that it is not something we relish doing, but it is something that we absolutely will do”, Trudeau said. He delivered that message personally during meetings with other leaders of the Group of Seven major economies, which took place in Canada on Friday and Saturday.

Trump himself insisted relationships with allies were a “ten” just before he left the summit.

Mr Trump had earlier signed the joint statement agreed by all the G7 nations despite the trade row.

By ordering his representatives to back out of the communique, Trump appeared to be asserting his oft-stated aim of upsetting the status quo whether by pulling out of the global climate accord or the worldwide nuclear deal with Iran or threats to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“The nations of the G7 are bound together by shared values and beliefs”, Trump said.

“We’re the piggy bank that everybody is robbing”. “And so began a long litany of recriminations, somewhat bitter reports that the United States was treated unfairly, that the trading system was totally unfavourable to the United States, the American economy, American workers, the middle class”, the official said. Otherwise, “we’re going to make a deal directly with Canada, directly with Mexico”.

Trudeau said the G7 had agreed to an “ambitious” communique, but he acknowledged the leaders left La Malbaie without significantly transforming Trump’s increasingly confrontational approach to trade.

Trump repeated the call on Saturday, saying “we’re looking for peace in the world”.

He said he believes Kim is prepared to do “something very positive for his people, for himself, his family”.

But Trudeau objected strenuously to a sunset clause of any length. “That’s our unequivocal position”, he said.

Mr Trump had earlier denied that the summit had been contentious, contradicting what one G7 official described as a bitter harangue between the US President and his counterparts over tariffs. “The president will continue to say what he says, on various occasions”, said the prime minister. Trump’s tweets cited those comments.

That comment has Trump squarely offside with this fellow G7 leaders, including Canada, who view Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its meddling in western elections as a major worldwide security concern.

Trump was asked if he thought Russia’s control over Crimea should be recognized by the global community, but he avoided answering directly and instead blamed his predecessor, Barack Obama, for the situation. I might have had a different attitude. “You want a tariff-free – you want no barriers, and you want no subsidies”, he said.

Donald Trump disrupted a G7 breakfast discussion on women’s empowerment Saturday morning by showing up late.

Trump’s utopian idea was greeted with skepticism, but he appeared to take it seriously, arguing that the United States had been taken for a ride by the rest of the world.

Because of the disputes, many observers were not certain a statement would be issued under all seven countries’ names.

The EU said it would stick to the joint communique despite Mr Trump’s decision.