Two final thoughts on the G7
First, what luck that Trump left after one day.
The Canadians, Europeans, the Japanese, plus the Mexicans, Brazilians, Australians and the Indians could have a serious, sophisticated conversation about what’s next, without tip-toeing around Trump’s ego and the growing panic in the U.S. that they are in trouble and their democracy is at risk. In part because of the president they have elected.
Second? How happy D. Trump must be to find himself back in his lovely gilded Oval Office. His cocoon. Eyes and cameras always fixed on him.
Imagine the agony. Twenty-four hours around a smallish round table as if they were eight equals. No higher seat. No special armchair. Worse still, he would have had to listen to conversations he may not have been part of. Not because anyone was leaving him out, but because he probably had nothing to contribute. Conversations he may have had difficulty understanding.
For example, imagine a chat among the French President, British Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission about Poland and the Russian risk — a risk with deep historic foundations. No advisors to whisper in D. Trump’s ear. Everything turning on what you have read, what you have learnt over the decades.
Tough stuff for a boy whose talents lie elsewhere.
Talents? He is a great populist in the negative tradition. That's why I often think of him in the context of characters like Mussolini or perhaps Napoleon III.
Anyway, it must have been agony. Give him a cheer — he did stick it out for half the meeting. And then fled back to his ego safety Oval.
A game I play with politicians is asking myself which have read books. For a challenge, narrow it down to "while in office" and "books that aren't immediately tied to their jobs." Discounting Carney and Merz, because they've only just entered office, Macron's the only safe money bet in the group. Ishiba I couldn't say. Starmer and Meloni not a chance. Trump, of course, would be offended at the very notion.
Thank you. I’ve been trying to tell folks to think of the bright side. He must have felt like he was sitting at a table of dolphins with them clicking away and him not understanding a word of what they were saying.
Seriously. Think of it. He would have been getting specific economic questions all day that he wouldn’t even understood let alone answer. But he couldn’t dodge like he normally does. Because, as you said, it was a table of equals.
Think of how Day 2 must have felt to all the attendees. Getting work done. Smiling and laughing. Beautiful.