How will Trump’s departure impact the rest of the G7 summit?
To state the obvious: The sudden departure of Donald Trump is going to frame the second day of this G7 summit — though it’s difficult to know what, exactly, the impact will be.
On the one hand, it’s tempting to say that Trump’s absence may reduce the chances of conflict around the table. In fairness, the U.S. president seemed to enjoy himself yesterday, and so today might have proceeded without a serious breakdown, even if he had stayed.
But we also know, from the 2018 summit in Charlevoix, Que., and even from Trump’s brief appearance before reporters yesterday, that he is not in line with the other leaders — and conflict is a distinct possibility when he’s in the room. Witness, for instance, the criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron as Trump departed, slamming the leader as someone who “always gets it wrong” over comments Macron made about negotiations for an Israel-Iran ceasefire.
On the other hand, it’s hard to know how his absence might impact the ability of the summit to complete the specific agreements that the Canadian team was hoping to finalize. While Trump has departed, a number of U.S. officials have remained behind, so perhaps those officials will be able to sign off on anything that wasn’t settled yesterday.
But there are also non-G7 leaders in attendance today, like Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who were likely looking to speak with the American president. They will now have to be satisfied with meeting the remaining leaders (and seeing the beautiful mountain vistas of Alberta).
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