Trump's G-7 talking points are so vague that allies have no idea what he actually thinks

U.S. allies are having a particularly tough time preparing for the upcoming G-7 summit in Italy on Friday and Saturday, the first that President Trump will attend in person. Officials are trying to write up the statements they'll deliver, as is the norm ahead of such meetings, but they are struggling to work with the "broad points" that U.S. officials have submitted that "fail to nail down positions on issues the leaders will discuss," Politico reported.
The French are hoping Trump can clear up whether or not he actually wants to back out of the Paris climate agreement, while Italy wants to know if Trump would be willing to help out with the influx of refugees. So far, the White House has only indicated that Trump will "promote economic prosperity and global growth" and "address unfair trade practices and other global issues, such as the role of innovation in the economy, women's equality, and food security."
"We haven't exactly seen the same situation before," said Pierre Vimont, a former French ambassador to the United States who has talked to people involved with G-7 conversations. "It's been difficult to find an agreement with the Americans."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump's ambiguity may be a bargaining tactic, so that he can see what other leaders will offer him before he puts his cards on the table. But, Politico noted, such vague answers in response to allies' demands for clarity could very well "cause drama" during his first foreign trip.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Book reviews: 'Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves' and 'Notes to John'
Feature The aughts' toxic pop culture and Joan Didion's most private pages
-
The FDA plans to embrace AI agencywide
In the Spotlight Rumors are swirling about a bespoke AI chatbot being developed for the FDA by OpenAI
-
Digital consent: Law targets deepfake and revenge porn
Feature The Senate has passed a new bill that will make it a crime to share explicit AI-generated images of minors and adults without consent
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members