Germany Pokes Trump on Twitter Politicking

'You can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters,' the German leader said
By Josh Gardner,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2018 3:30 PM CDT
Germany Pokes Trump on Twitter Politicking
France's President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel laugh during a family photo   (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

President Trump announced the US won't endorse a G-7 statement of shared priorities on trade and other key issues, in an apparent squabble with Canada's prime minister, and it has stirred up a lot of anger over in Europe. According to CNN, leaders in the French capital responded by saying that “international cooperation can't depend on anger and small words. Let's be serious and worthy of our people. We spent two days obtaining a draft and commitments. We stick to it. And anyone who leaves and turns their back on them shows their inconsistency." Germany, too, had choice words for the American president. Speaking with reporters in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Sunday that Trump's move came as no surprise. "We have seen this with the climate agreement or the Iran deal. In a matter of seconds, you can destroy trust with 280 Twitter characters. To build that up again will take much longer," Maas said.

Trump earlier picked a Twitter fight with the host of the G-7 conclave, calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada "very dishonest and weak." Per the AP, Trump said the US was withdrawing its endorsement of the G-7's communique, in part over what he called Trudeau's "false statements" about US tariffs at a news conference. The summit at Quebec's Charlevoix resort failed to produce any truce in an intensifying trade conflict. Trump has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imported to the United States from the EU, Canada and Mexico. He has justified the tariffs by claiming that a reliance on foreign steel and aluminum threatens U.S. national security. Outraged, the allies have responded by targeting American products, including cheese, bourbon and pork. On Saturday, Trump warned that "if they retaliate, they're making a big mistake." (More Donald Trump stories.)

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