G7 Summit: Redefining Trade

Over the weekend, Trump arrived at the 44th G7 Summit, held in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. His presence stole the center of the world stage as he stood poised and ready to ask for reciprocal and fair trade between all countries involved. 

Ahead of his visit, he tweeted that he looked forward to straightening out trade deals. He also tweeted that Canada taxed dairy farmers at a rate of 270%, ramping up attention towards Canada as one of the perpetrators of unfair trade practices. Trump has brought up many times over the past year unfair trade deals while hinting at pulling out of NAFTA as well as if more fair and equal pay did not happen. Ahead of the visit, Trump administration also recently imposed a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum for Canada, Mexico, and European Union. The move made for some tension ahead of the summit visit, but Trump remained resolved to fighting unfair trade. 



President Trump came out swinging as he entered the G-7 summit in Quebec on Friday, vowing to fight unfair trade policies despite terse warnings from U.S. allies over his administration's tough new tariffs.    

Upon his arrival, a reporter asked Trump if the Allies were "angry" with him over the recent trade spars. Trump questioned which organization he was with, to which the reporter confirmed he was with CNN. Trump roasted the reporter, responding "I figured, Fake news CNN. The worst."

This is particularly genius. As CNN gets called out on the world stage, many other leaders such as Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, have also been calling out the fake news media in recent months.  It is undeniable that Trump's stance on the practices of media misleading the public is gaining global attention. 

Trump reminded the allies at G7 summit that the United States was no longer going to be robbed with unfair trade practices, and was happy to walk away from the table if there were no good deals. 

The meeting between allies showed one stark picture, which showed the absolute resolve on Trump's face as everyone watched the exchange between Merkel and Trump. It was almost like his expression was saying "Try me." And I think, it will stand as one of the more iconic photos to date of Trump the negotiator. It truly shows a contrast between Obama who was always laughing it up with the allies, to a resolved Trump, ready to enact his infamous negotiation skills. 

Shortly after Trump departed for the historic Singapore summit with Kim Jong Un, Trump called out Prime Minister Trudeau, on his dishonest news conference he held afterward. He also refused to sign G7 communique statement, stating that Trudeau is weak and knows better how he's ripping off the US in trade. 


In a remarkable pair of acrimony-laced tweets, Mr. Trump threatened to escalate his trade war and derided Canada’s prime minister as "very dishonest."    

After Trump's arrival in Singapore, he again doubled down and reiterated his trade stance in a tweet storm, promising that it would change, while calling out the massive deficits happening under the current agreements.  


Trump's ongoing trade war with China so far has added an agriculture deal, which helps American farmers. China also conceded to lower automobile tariffs, lowering from 25 percent to 15 percent. 

Trump says China agreed to good deal for American farmers

President Trump touted in a tweet on Monday China’s promise to buy more US agricultural products following trade talks between the two countries, calling it a good deal for American farmers. …    

China Makes Massive Cut to Car Tariffs After Truce With Trump

China will cut the import duty on passenger cars to 15 percent, further opening up a market that’s been a chief target of the U.S. in its trade fight with the world’s second-largest economy.    

I think with Trump at the negotiation table, there is a lot of confidence that he will take home some wins from G7 Summit.  He is resolved to fighting for the American workers in securing trade deals that benefit countries equally. As long as Trump is at the negotiation table, I believe that he will bring home some of the best deals in years, further spurring on the economic growth jumpstarted by tax cuts and reducing government waste.  


Written By FULCRUM Contributor @PinkAboutIt