"G6 plus one": Allies' frustration with U.S. mounts ahead of G7 summit
President Trump is expecting tough talks with U.S. allies Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and Japan at the G7 summit Friday. Relations are tense after the president put new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from the European Union, Mexico, and Canada. Those nations are threatening new tariffs of their own on U.S. goods. President Trump tweeted Friday morning: "Looking forward to straightening out unfair Trade Deals with the G-7 countries. If it doesn't happen, we come out even better!"
Mr. Trump's "America first" mantra has led to policy decisions that have angered U.S. allies. G7 finance ministers met ahead of the summit and described the group as "G6 plus one," with the U.S. in the rare role of an outlier.
On the eve of the summit, Mr. Trump said little about his goals, but had messages for two of the leaders he plans to meet with. He tweeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "is being so indignant" and slammed both Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron for their tariffs on the U.S.
Macron and Trudeau said they would not back down to Mr. Trump who says his administration's recently imposed tariffs will help keep the U.S. safe.
"It is laughable", Prime Minister Trudeau said, "To say that Canada, France represent a threat to America's national security."
The G7 summit typically concludes with all seven leaders signing a joint communique but there's a chance that won't happen. President Macron tweeted the other six leaders wouldn't mind signing one without the U.S.
At the White House Thursday, President Trump hosted Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will also attend the G7, but that other summit coming up in Singapore stole the spotlight.
Responding to CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang's question about whether Mr. Trump will be distracted by the Singapore meeting while at the G7 summit, NEC Director Larry Kudlow said no. "The president is at ease with all of these tough issues. He's proven himself to be a leader on the world stage," Kudlow said.
The president will leave the G7 early, traveling directly to Singapore Saturday morning, missing discussions on climate change. The U.S. has also broken with the other countries by pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and clashing over how to address climate change.
