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Trump is reportedly venting about about having to spend 2 days in Canada with Trudeau and wants to find new ways to punish the country

Bob Bryan   

Trump is reportedly venting about about having to spend 2 days in Canada with Trudeau and wants to find new ways to punish the country

justin trudeau donald trump

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump

  • President Donald Trump is scheduled to head to Canada for the G7 summit on Friday.
  • After criticism from Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and other G7 leaders, Trump is apparently reluctant to go to the meeting and may send Vice President Mike Pence instead.
  • The other G7 members - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom - are likely to bash Trump's recent tariffs and trade restrictions.

After an intense week of public back and forth, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump are set to meet face-to-face in Canada on Friday.

Trump is scheduled to head to Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada for the G7 meeting on Friday to sit down with the leaders of the US's closest allies. A new report says the US president is not pleased about the visit.

According to The Washington Post, Trump has privately discussed sending Vice President Mike Pence instead. One of the largest reasons for Trump's reluctance is the host country, the report said.

Over the past week, Trudeau has been especially critical of Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum. The Canadian prime minister has called the decision "totally unacceptable" and "insulting" during various media appearances.

In private, the trade battle has strained a once-cheery relationship between the two leaders. Trump reportedly joked on a call with Trudeau that the tariffs, which the US imposed under a national security justification, were necessary because Canada burned down the White House during the War of 1812.

Amid Trudeau's vocal opposition, Trump has reportedly weighed further options to crack down on the US's northern neighbor.

Other reasons for Trump's reluctance to head to Canada, per The Washington Post, include Trump's poor relationship for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister Theresa May; a distaste for the likely dressing-down he will receive from foreign leaders on trade; and a desire to focus on the North Korean summit in Singapore next week.

Aides are concerned that Trump may not agree to the joint statement that is typically put out by the participating countries at the end of the summit, according to The Post.

trump g7 summit leaders

Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

From L-R, European Council President Donald Tusk, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pose for a family photo during the G7 Summit in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, May 26, 2017.

Allies are ready to blast Trump's trade fights

Whether or not Trump attends the G7 meeting, the spectre of the president's belligerent trade policy will linger over the gathering.

Many of the attending members have expressed displeasure with Trump's tariffs last week. Every other G7 country plans on launching retaliatory tariffs against US goods.

There is also some recent precedent for strong condemnation from the member countries. Following the meeting of G7 finance ministers last week, the official statement made a startling break from the usually staid communiques when it specifically called out the US.

"Concerns were expressed that the tariffs imposed by the United States on its friends and allies, on the grounds of national security, undermine open trade and confidence in the global economy," the statement said. "Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors requested that the United States Secretary of the Treasury communicate their unanimous concern and disappointment"

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tried to brush off the statement following the summit.

"There were many, many areas, not only do we agree on, we're completely united on," Mnuchin said of the talks.

By contrast, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the talks were "far more a G6 plus one than a G7."

A similar, chilly reception for Trump's trade crackdown is expected this weekend. Germany's Merkel even predicted as much during a question-and-answer session in the German parliament Wednesday.

"It is apparent that we have a serious problem with multilateral agreements here, and so there will be contentious discussions," Merkel said.

Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic adviser, tried to downplay the trade divisions during a press briefing on Wednesday.

"There may be disagreements. I regard this as much like a family quarrel," Kudlow said. "I'm always the optimist. I believe it can be worked out. But I'm always hopeful on that point."

While Kudlow offered a rosy outlook, the former Wall Street economist and CNBC host also emphasized that Trump did not plan on backing down.

"President Trump is very clear with respect to his trade reform efforts that we will do what is necessary to protect the United States, its businesses, and its workforce," he said. "So that we may have disagreements, we may have tactical disagreements, but he has always said - and I agree - tariffs are a tool in that effort."

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