G-7 leaders hope for productive – and quiet – summit
BIARRITZ, France — President Donald Trump arrived at a meeting of the world’s major powers here Saturday amid signs that the economic and political head winds gathering across the globe would be stirred rather than tempered at this year’s Group of Seven summit.
Hours before the meetings officially began, European Council President Donald Tusk warned that Trump’s trade wars could tip the world into a global recession. French President Emmanuel Macron surprised Trump with an impromptu lunch and began discussing “a lot of crises” as Trump sat stone-faced. Some Trump administration officials privately griped about the unscheduled meal and the French government’s decision to focus the G-7 on issues such as climate change and inequality instead of trade.
While Trump struck a positive tone upon his arrival in Biarritz – tweeting “Big weekend with other world leaders!” – the tension surrounding the meeting was held barely below the surface as anxious diplomats kept close watch on the president’s Twitter account. Some Trump administration officials hinted that the president was prepared to disrupt the meeting’s carefully planned script with his trademark bombast.
Trump, who has a track record of
crashing into global forums with a torrent of tweets, complaints and bluster, came to Biarritz after spending days airing more grievances than guidance for global powers facing myriad challenges, including intensifying trade wars and a potential global recession.
During a special meeting on Sunday about the state of the global economy, requested by the White House, Trump will have an opportunity to set the tone for the gathering. While Macron has sought to organize the G-7 around issues such as global inequality and development in Africa, Trump plans to use the gathering to press his “America First” agenda on trade and economic growth, officials said.
On Saturday, Trump used his brief public remarks to praise the “perfect” weather and predict that Macron and other world leaders “will accomplish a lot.” But privately, some of his advisers were grumbling over the direction the summit was taking before it even officially began. Other U.S. officials, however, tried to tamp down the idea tensions were rising, saying talks so far had been going well.
In the days leading up to the summit, Trump escalated his trade war with China,
blasted Denmark for not selling Greenland to the United States, declared the world to be in recession, harassed his central bank chairman, threatened tariffs against several G-7 nations and called for G-7 outcast Russia to be re-admitted to the group.
Trump’s continued embrace of his “America First” agenda – even in the face of growing signs of global economic turmoil – indicates that the various world powers will not be able to rely on the United States for steady leadership amid crisis, said Jon Alterman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“There has been a complete realization on the world stage that the U.S. is not playing its traditional role, and may never again play the role it’s played for 75 years,” he said. “But it’s unclear what role the United States will play, and what the consequences of that might be.”
Trump has approached the looming economic slowdown with a mix of isolationism and frenetic energy. He has boasted that the U.S. economy remains strong while other countries are struggling. He recently floated new tax cuts and stimulus to boost the economy, only to abandon the ideas within hours.
On Friday, his trade war with China intensified as Beijing imposed retaliatory tariffs
on $75 billion in American goods. Trump responded with the extraordinary step of calling on U.S. companies to stop doing business with China and calling Chinese President Xi Jinping an “enemy.”
Trump took to Twitter after markets closed Friday to announce he would be increasing tariffs on Chinese goods.
During their lunch, Macron told Trump the leaders needed to work on “how to decrease tensions and fix the situation in terms of trade.” He also discussed the global economic slowdown, saying Europe needs “some new tools to relaunch our economy.”
Trump, who has a habit of blasting world leaders over Twitter and complimenting them in person, spoke positively about his relationship with Macron.
“So far so good. The weather is perfect,” he said. “I think we will accomplish a lot this weekend.”
Shortly after the lunch, some senior administration officials said they were frustrated with how the French were handling the summit. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly, two U.S. officials said they believed Macron was focusing on issues such as climate change, gender inequality and development in Africa to cater to his own domestic politics.
Trump’s administration wants more focus on trade and the economy, the officials said.
One senior administration official offered a contrary view, saying the talks so far had been positive and constructive. The differing views of aides suggested there is an uneasiness among administration officials about what the goals for the summit should be and how Trump will react when substantive discussions begin on Sunday.