WASHINGTON _ It may or may not be a trade war. But it's definitely a Twitter war. Between friends.
On the eve of the annual summit of the so-called G-7 economic powers in Quebec, President Donald Trump traded thinly veiled insults over trade with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has worked to be one of Trump's closest friends on the world stage _ to little avail.
Trump also took a shot at another ally, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, following Trudeau's criticisms of the president's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
The exchanges underscored the dramatic backdrop to this year's summit: In the roughly 45-year history of the group of major industrialized countries, never has the United States been in a position of such open antagonism to its longtime allies.
The meetings in Canada Friday and Saturday were already expected to be spicy given Trump's protectionist moves, in contrast to another unusual turn in Trump's diplomacy _ his charm offensive with North Korea, the world's biggest pariah state, and its autocratic leader Kim Jong Un.
While Macron has tweeted several times against the U.S. tariffs, in his most pointed one on Thursday he took a backhanded swipe at Trump's "values" while threatening to isolate the U.S. at the summit.
"The American President may not mind being isolated, but neither do we mind signing a 6 country agreement if need be," he wrote. "Because these 6 countries represent values, they represent an economic market which has the weight of history behind it and which is now a true international force."
Besides the United States, the other six countries of the G-7 are France, Canada, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Trump is well-known for the counter-punch and he did not disappoint, with a tweet that slapped at Trudeau as well. Trudeau publicly has called Trump's tariffs "insulting" to allies such as Canada.
"Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers," Trump wrote Thursday evening. "The EU trade surplus with the U.S. is $151 Billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out."
Then, for good measure, he added: "Look forward to seeing them tomorrow."
