At G-20, world aligns against Trump policies ranging from free trade to climate change Michael Birnbaum and Damien Paletta, The Washington Post Published 10:50 am, Friday, July 7, 2017
HAMBURG, Germany - The growing international isolation of the United States under President Trump was starkly apparent Friday as the leaders of major world economies mounted a near-united opposition front against Washington on issues ranging from climate to free trade.
At a gathering of the Group of 20 world economic powers - normally a venue for drab displays of international comity - there were tough clashes with the United States and even talk of a possible transatlantic trade war.
The tensions were a measure of Trump's sharp break with previous U.S. policies. They were also a warning signal of Washington's diminished clout, as the leaders of the other 19 nations gathered in Hamburg mulled whether to fix their signatures to statements that would exclude Trump or to find some sort of compromise. Two European officials said they were leaning toward a united front against Washington.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose difficult job it was to find some form of compromise, made little attempt to paper over the differences after the first day of meetings.
"The discussions are very difficult. I don't want to talk around that," Merkel said.