Macron says the G-7 Summit doesn’t need the US: ‘We don’t mind being six’

French president Emmanuel Macron took a hard line against President Trump’s isolationist policies while participating in a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this Thursday.

Speaking on the upcoming G-7 Summit, Macron said that the G-7 “doesn’t mind being six,” suggesting that they’ll do fine without the participation of the United States.

“The six countries of the G-7 without the United States are a bigger market taken together than the American market,” Macron said, according to Reuters. “There will be no world hegemony if we know how to organize ourselves. And we don’t want there to be one.”

“Maybe the American president doesn’t care about being isolated today, but we don’t mind being six, if needs be,” Macron said.

The G-7 Summit, which consists of the U.S., France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Japan, is set to begin this Friday in Quebec. Most of the member nations have spoken out against Trump’s new tariffs which impose a 25 percent tax on imported steel and a 10 percent tax on imported aluminum.

Trudeau also criticized the tariffs, calling them “totally unacceptable,” adding that the new taxes are “an affront to the long-standing security partnership between Canada and the United States, and in particular, to the thousands of Canadians who have fought and died alongside American comrades-in-arms.”

From Newsweek:

Trump’s recently announced tariffs are only the latest move signaling U.S. departure with traditionally close allies.

Last June, the president confirmed that he would remove the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, fulfilling a campaign promise he had made to voters. The decision drew criticism from European and Canadian leaders. Today, the U.S. is the only country in the world that is not part of the accord, after Syria joined in November.

In early May, Trump announced that the U.S. would reinstate sanctions on Iran, breaking with the landmark nuclear agreement made in 2015. European leaders have suggested they will stick with the Iran deal, also expressing disappointment with Trump’s unilateral move.

Macron went on to say that the remaining six countries will hold firm in their values.

“These six represent values, represent an economic market, and more than anything, represent a real force at the international level today.”

Featured image via Twitter

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.