The president suggests “scrapping all of it” after being confronted by European leaders, according to Politico.
Leah Millis/Reuters
President Trump reportedly suggested ending all tariffs between the U.S. and other G7 nations after a tense meeting on trade at the summit in Quebec, a stark turnaround from his recent tough talk on trade imbalances. “We should at least consider no tariffs, no barriers—scrapping all of it,” Trump said at a private gathering with European leaders, according to sources cited by Politico. Officials familiar with the discussion said Trump’s remarks were largely seen as rhetorical by other world leaders present, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel is said to have offered to take the suggestion as a “starting point.” The apparent about-face comes after Merkel and other leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, reportedly confronted Trump over his threats to impose steep tariffs, pushing back against his repeated claims that the U.S. is a victim of unfair trade practices by its European allies. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reportedly offered to visit Washington to continue trade talks with Trump, though the U.S. president is said to have not responded to that proposal.
