World leaders look to strike US trade deals at the G7 summit

The annual meeting of the Group of 7 nations is in full swing at a resort town in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where many of the world’s most powerful leaders aim to hash out their differences surrounded by more natural beauty than at a Hemsworth family reunion.

Quick background: The G7 summit is a forum where the US and many of its traditional partner nations meet to find common ground on critical issues. The summit is attended by leaders from the seven member countries—Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US—alongside EU officials, with leaders of other important global allies also typically invited.

A world trade center

Some global leaders used the G7 summit, which concludes later today, to talk trade with President Trump and his administration.

• Canadian PM Mark Carney met with Trump yesterday to discuss both countries’ tariff situation, after which both sides pledged to work towards a deal within the next 30 days.
• Hours later, UK PM Keir Starmer held similar talks with Trump that led to both countries announcing a new trade deal that slashes tariffs.

But the timing didn’t work out for others. Leaders from Mexico, Japan, and the EU were also looking to negotiate face-to-face with Trump over reducing US tariffs in exchange for concessions like higher military spending, action against China, and/or cuts to trade barriers for US companies.

However, Trump’s presence at the G7 summit was cut short last night when he left early “because of what’s going on in the Middle East,” per the White House press secretary.

Looking ahead…The White House has pledged to complete dozens of new trade deals by a July 9 deadline, when Trump’s global “reciprocal” tariffs are set to take effect following a 90-day pause (though another delay in enforcement is widely expected).