Donald Trump invites crisis at G7 by attacking allies, embracing Russia

President Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early, declaring it concluded. It was actually still going on, but for him it was over, because he made a hash of it in record time.

Even before he got on Air Force One, Trump alienated our sister nation by embarking on a bizarre and inexplicable trade war. As he left he lashed out at our allies and partners in Europe — playing all of his greatest hits of imaginary American grievance, from “the United States has been taken advantage of for decades and decades” to “the European Union is brutal to the United States.”

Some of this could be excused as the normal wrangling among allies over trade and spending. This is not the first time that the U.S. and its partners have disagreed over important economic matters, and ironing out those disputes is why organizations like the G7 have summits in the first place.

But griping about the unfairness of international life wasn’t enough for the president, who knew he was going to face some angry questions about his impenetrably backward views on trade. So Trump upped the ante by raising the bafflingly dumb and politically ludicrous idea of bringing Russia back into the G7.

This is not a normal disagreement among allies; this is an American repudiation of what the G7 is supposed to represent.