Trump misses climate meeting and says he’ll invite Putin to next G7 amid erratic behaviour at summit
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has skipped a meeting about climate change and biodiversity attended by other world leaders at the G7 on Monday, in the latest sign that the American government does not view the global threat as a priority.
Separately, meeting German chancellor Angela Merkel, the US president claimed there was “great unity” on how to deal with the Iran crisis. Ms Merkel, however, said there was a long way to go on the issue, which has created considerable headache as tensions have flared between Tehran and Washington.
The snubs came just before Mr Trump attended a joint press conference with French president Emmanuel Macron, where the two leaders claimed to have found unity on many issues — from Iranian nuclear enrichment, to trade.
Later, after Mr Macron left the stage, the American president stuck around for a few questions, where he lavished praise on Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and at one point called himself an "environmentalist".
Mr Trump has also denied at the summit in France that he had suggested firing nuclear weapons at hurricanes — as was reported by Axios — and suggested his own Miami golf club for next year’s G7. He also claimed China had “called” to ask for trade talks – before a top Chinese official said he was unaware of any call.
Elsewhere, the 2020 Democratic primary field saw some heat, with a new poll showing Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden all in a statistical dead heat among national voters.
The poll marked a potentially dramatic fall for Mr Biden from the top of the race, and came after Ms Warren attracted a massive crowd in Seattle — one that has received plenty of media attention for its striking visuals.
Also, Mr Trump's own party's primary field has gotten a bit tighter, with the long-shot entry of former congressman Joe Walsh, a one-time Trump supporter who claims the president has simply gotten too cozy with Russia.
Mr Macron says that WTO "rules haven't allowed us to be protected".
He says that the G7 leaders agreed to "accelerate" efforts to change the rules of world trade.
Mr Trump being asked if he is satisfied with how far WTO reforms would go.
"No ... we're getting there", he responded.
Mr Trump says he is satisfied with Chinese statements that they want a trade deal, and says he thinks "they want to make a deal really badly."
"China has taken a very hard hit over the last number of jobs. They've lost 3 million jobs, it will soon be much more than 3 million jobs."
"I think they very much want to make a deal."
"The tariffs have hit them very hard in a short period of time," he said, before attacking the media for not reporting on the revenues from tariffs the US government is enjoying (but that is largely being paid for with higher prices by US consumers).
"It's a brilliant market, it's a brilliant brilliant market, the world market," Mr Trump said. "A lot of markets are brilliant."
"I think they want to make a deal, I'm not sure they have a choice," Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump claims that the US is going to be collecting "over $100 billion in tariffs" in a "short period of time."
On a meeting between Iran president Rouhani and Mr Trump, and whether France will be an intermediary:
Mr Macron: "The terms of the discussion are quite simple. An agreement was signed in 2015. On July 14 ... and that agreement set forward agreements for the international community, and the signatories of the agreement...."
Notes that Iran agreed to folding its nuclear ambitions in exchange for easing economic sanctions.
"Today because of the sanctions made by president Trump the Iranian economy is having serious issues and a serious slowdown," Mr Macron says, suggesting Iran is being forced to the negotiating table.
"Given the two goals that we have, where are we going with this? We need to be sure that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon and that there will be no flare ups in the region," Mr Macron says.
Mr Macron says that Mr Trump was "very clear" that a new Iran nuclear agreement would need to last longer, and include surveillance of more potential nuclear sites.
Mr Macron says Iran can be persuaded to take a deal if they are given economic incentives. Says that nothing else can be made public at this time.
Mr Macron: "We agreed on a strategic goal, and I want us to go further within this framework."
Mr Macron says he "would wish" that a meeting regarding Iran could take place "in the coming weeks".
Mr Trump: "Iran is a country that is not the same country that it was two and a half years ago when I came into office."
"Iran was the number one state of terror throughout the world. There were 18 sites of confliction in my first week."
"I think that Iran is a country of tremendous potential. We're not looking for leadership change. We're not looking for that kind of change. This country has been through this many times before. That doesn't work."
Mr Trump says that the main goal is for no nuclear weapons for Iran, and that a deal could be struck in a "very short" amount of time.
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