Trump arrives in Sicily for G7 summit, the final leg of his trip abroad

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump arrived in Sicily on Thursday night for a G7 summit on Friday in the coastal town of Taormina with the leaders of Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Britain, and Canada. He will start the day with a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the only leader who wasn't with Trump in Brussels for a NATO summit on Thursday. "The day will feature a welcoming ceremony and concert at the remains of an ancient Greek temple, as well as a relentless number of meetings, many of which White House aides are hoping to keep short in order to keep Trump's attention," The Associated Press reports.

The topics of discussion will veer from tackling terrorism, which has broad consensus, to climate change and trade, where Trump is essentially the odd leader out. Migration and North Korea will also be big topics. "It's time for him to have an intimate discussion and understand their issues but, more importantly, for them to understand our issues," economic adviser Gary Cohn told reporters late Thursday, en route to Sicily.

The NATO summit ended with Trump scolding his 27 fellow leaders for not spending enough on defense and falling short of voluntary benchmarks, and declining to explicitly endorse NATO's Article 5 pledge of mutual support. The G7 summit might be a little better suited to Trump's skills, G7 experts say. "It is a forum made for Donald Trump's particular style. It is highly informal, highly interactive, and they speak in very colloquial language to each other," said John Kirton, director of the University of Toronto's G7 Research Group. "It is the ultimate lonely hearts club. No one understands how tough it is to have the top job except the peers with the top job in other countries."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Breaking with longstanding tradition, Trump has not held a press conference all trip, and he isn't expected to hold one in Sicily, the last stop on his nine-day tour, either.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.