Trump attends G7 summit in Canada amid tensions on trade

Trump had opposed Israeli military action against Iran, favoring negotiations over bombing. But in the days before the strikes began, he became convinced that Israel’s heightened anxiety over Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities was warranted.

After a pivotal briefing from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, on Israel’s plans and U.S. options for supporting its operation, he gave tacit approval to Israel to have at it and decided to provide limited U.S. backing.

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Sen. Rand Paul, a leading Republican critic of the sweeping Trump agenda bill, said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he told the president that he is “not an absolute no” on the package.

“I talked to the president last evening after the parade, and we’re trying to get to a better place in our conversations,” Paul, R-Ky., said. “And I’ve let him know that I’m not an absolute no.”

“I don’t have as much trouble with the tax cuts. I think there should be more spending cuts, but if they want my vote, they’ll have to negotiate,” Paul said, noting he did not want to vote to raise the debt ceiling by trillions of dollars.

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Trump will kick off the first full day of his trip to Canada with a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, which comes amid heightened tensions over trade and the president referring to Canada as the 51st state. The two leaders previously met when Carney visited the White House in May.

The president then heads into G7 sessions, which are taking place in Alberta, Canada, near Calgary. World leaders are gathering for the annual conference, where they will discuss top international issues. 

The G7 is composed of the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, but leaders from a handful of other countries, including Ukraine, will attend this week’s meeting, as well. 

Trump said yesterday that he anticipates announcing new trade deals at the summit, suggesting to reporters ahead of his departure to Canada that it’s just a matter of sending letters laying out the framework of the economic agreements.

“Look, we have our trade deals. All we have to do is send a letter [saying] ‘this is what you’re going to have to pay,'” Trump said. “But I think we’ll have a few, few new trade deals.”

In addition to the Group of Seven nations and the European Union, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also extended invitations to this year’s gathering to several allied countries, including Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa, India and Australia.

Aside from the United Kingdom, Trump has yet to announce a trade deal with any of the countries attending the summit, some of whom have responded to his heightened tariffs with retaliatory penalties of their own.

Trump’s second-term approval rating remains stuck in negative territory, along with general attitudes toward his administration’s policies, according to a new NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey. 

But immigration and border security remains an exception, as the president tries to drive national attention back toward his strongest issue — though Americans are closely divided even on that area of relative strength.

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