Well, it’s official. Our strongest, closest allies now loathe us. Comrade Putin’s work here is moving along quite nicely. MAGA.
Oh, and Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron’s one-sided love affair is a bust, too.
Following the disgraceful, discourteous, and undiplomatic behavior of Trump and his minions at the G-7 summit in Canada, and their continuous squabbling afterward, Europe has had it with the United States. On Sunday, Le Monde reported that the French government has released a statement criticizing the U.S. position and the “small words” of its dear leader.
The leaders of the G-7, which includes Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, are particularly angry with the Trump administration for pulling out of a joint communiqué on trade at the last minute. The communiqué contains lots of fluffy diplomatic language that Trump probably doesn’t like, such as working together, paying a fair share, and respecting the rule of law and human rights. But that’s not why Trump scrapped it.
Aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump became incensed at remarks made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that warned of retaliatory trade measures by Canada in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. As Politico reported, just an hour and a half after Trudeau’s remarks, Trump tweeted that he had “instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!” He called Trudeau’s actions “meek” and “mild.”
Macron’s office responded on Sunday morning with a statement criticizing the Trump administration’s “incoherence” and “inconsistency,” according to Le Monde.
“We spent two days to obtain a text and commitments. We will stand by them and anyone who would depart from them, once their back was turned, shows their incoherence and inconsistency,” the statement said, according to Politico, citing the French newspaper.
It added: “International cooperation cannot depend on fits of anger or little words. Let us be serious and worthy of our people.”
Macron and Trump’s relationship reportedly already had begun to sour following a contentious phone call between the two in which Macron criticized Trump’s policies. Sources told CNN that Trump didn’t like being criticized, and the call was “terrible.” At the G-7 summit, photographers snapped photos of a visible thumbprint Macron left on Trump’s hand after the two exchanged a handshake.
Despite all of this, British Prime Minister Theresa May said an official trip by Trump to the U.K. will move forward next month as scheduled, according to The Guardian. She said she was “looking forward” to the visit, which is expected to be met by large protests.
In the meantime, Trump will have another chance to showcase his diplomatic skills at a historic summit on Tuesday in Singapore, with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. That should go well.