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“We shouldn’t speak to our counterparts or the heads of federal governments by the way those conversations have played out by tweet,” said Malloy, who is not seeking re-election in November.

“It makes no sense at all and it’s at best, childish, and it should stop.”

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, took the middle ground, saying he believed “cooler heads will prevail” and a successful re-negotiation of NAFTA will occur.

At one point, Scott — who is running for re-election in November — leaned over and affectionately put his arm on Couillard and hugged him briefly after the Quebec premier said he didn’t think the U.S. could ever behave that way toward “friends, neighbours and allies.”

“We fought wars together,” Couillard said. “Recently our kids were fighting terrorism together, we didn’t expect that kind of relationship from our friend.

“What comes out of the White House is not the whole of the United States of America. We admire America and Americans, and we have always been friends and we really want it to stay that way.”

Couillard was joined in Stowe, Vt., by fellow premiers of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick.

All the U.S. and Canadian leaders signed joint declarations to increase economic ties with one another and work to combat climate change, but the trade dispute between the two countries took centre stage.

Two days before the conference began, Trump threatened to impose auto tariffs on Canada, while in June he called Trudeau “very dishonest and weak.”