Amid tensions at G-7 summit, President Trump suggests some ‘Second Thoughts’ on China Trade war
While Trump sought to play up unity between the leaders at the G-7 summit, some cracks emerged Sunday. President Donald Trump appeared to strike a softer tone after landing here this weekend, hailing the “really great” summit with world leaders and appearing to admit regrets about his latest round of tariffs on Chinese goods.
While speaking to reporters during a breakfast meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Trump was asked if he had had second thoughts on Friday’s escalation with China.
“I have second thoughts about everything,” he added after reporters asked him to clarify a third time. The White House quickly pushed back on any suggestion that Trump’s resolve for a trade war was fading.
White House officials blindsided by Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif’s G-7 appearance
Some Trump aides said early in the day they were caught unaware of — and furious over — the French government’s decision to invite Zarif.
The White House was blindsided by the arrival of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday in the coastal French town where President Donald Trump and other world leaders are meeting this weekend, three U.S. officials said shortly after Zarif’s arrival.
But a senior administration official insisted the president himself was not caught off guard by Zarif’s arrival in Biarritz, France, the site of this year’s Group of Seven summit, despite simmering frustration among his aides about the French invitation. When asked about it early in the day, the president told reporters he had no comment.
A spokesman for Zarif announced that Zarif had arrived in Biarritz at the invitation of the French foreign minister “to continue talks” between the Iranian and French governments. The statement followed reports of an Iranian government plane landing in Biarritz.
Zarif was intending to travel to China today — the first stop of an Asia swing to canvass support for the nuclear deal. An Iranian source said the switch to the French resort was a last-minute decision after Zarif’s French counterpart extended the invitation.
“No one was expecting it,” one U.S. official said of Zarif’s arrival. “It was a surprise.”