President Donald Trump on Friday kept up his attacks on US allies ahead of his trip to the Group of Seven summit in remote Quebec.
“Looking forward to straightening out unfair Trade Deals with the G-7 countries,” Trump wrote on Twitter early Friday morning. “If it doesn’t happen, we come out even better!”
In a separate post, Trump said the host country Canada “charges the U.S. a 270% tariff on Dairy Products! They didn’t tell you that, did they? Not fair to our farmers!” (Canada charges an average tariff of 249% on imported dairy products, according to the World Trade Organization, and as much as 270% on some milk substances.)
On Thursday, Trump traded barbs with French President Emmanuel Macron after Macron suggested that the G7 nations would band together without the US. On Twittter, Trump also called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “indignant” for his country’s trade practices.
The summit comes amid a fractured moment for US alliances after the tariffs the US imposed last week on Canada, Mexico and the European Union. France and other US allies have also bristled at Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.
The President has questioned privately why he should attend the G7 at all, according to a person familiar with the conversations, but was advised that skipping the meeting would appear as though he’s backing down.
However, he plans on cutting his trip short to fly to Singapore for his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The White House announced Thursday that the President would depart the G7 mid-morning on Saturday, skipping sessions on climate change and the environment.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Michelle Kosinski and Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.