QUEBEC CITY—U.S. President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell after the G7 summit ended, essentially calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a liar who made “false statements” about Canada-U.S. trade.

The president tweeted: “Based on Justin’s false statements at his news conference, and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our U.S. farmers, workers and companies, I have instructed our U.S. Reps not to endorse the Communique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the U.S. Market!”

Trump’s reversal on the joint statement and declaration that he will proceed with an investigation and possible 25 per cent tariffs on automobile imports — despite all that he heard in Charlevoix over the past 24 hours — was a stunning move.

Trudeau had closed the G7 summit just two hours earlier, calling it a success because the seven leaders had set aside sharp differences on tariffs and come to a consensus to support a vague statement endorsing “a rules-based international order” and “free, fair and mutually beneficial trade and investment.”

But Trump tweeted he was now pulling out of the joint communiqué after all, although it was not entirely clear which of Trudeau’s statements he deemed “false.”

Trump added an even further personal attack, tweeting: “PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, “US Tariffs were kind of insulting” and he “will not be pushed around.” Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!”

In fact, Trump’s tweets appear to prove Trudeau’s point — that American tariffs are punitive measures and do not deal with actual national security concerns. Trump appears focused on Canada’s milk more than any threat to national security.

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The Canadian prime minister, who was in meetings with UN and other leaders Saturday night, had little to say in response.

Trudeau’s spokesman, Cameron Ahmad, released a statement from Trudeau, saying: “We are focused on everything we accomplished here at the G7 summit. The Prime Minister said nothing he hasn’t said before — both in public, and in private conversations with the President.”

In fact, Trump had earlier insisted their personal relationship remained good — Trump rated it “a 10” — but their news conferences, and now the incredibly personal shot at Trudeau, spoke volumes.

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Trump told reporters in the morning that he would not reverse steel and aluminum tariffs that hit Canada and all other G7 members. The U.S. president insisted on the need to blow up Canada’s dairy quota system that levies tariffs on American farmers after a foreign import quota is reached, and declared that a new North American free trade pact “will have a sunset clause.”

He said a five-year expiry, or a longer term to accommodate concerns of business investment cycles, were the two options.

Trudeau said he told the U.S. president that Canada will retaliate with $16 billion in countermeasures against U.S. products starting July 1 if he doesn’t lift the tariffs.

Trump “told me that would be a mistake,” Trudeau said.

“It is something that absolutely we will do,” Trudeau added. He said he told Trump that Canadians are polite and reasonable, “but we also will not be pushed around.”

Trudeau said he made the case “directly” to Trump that Canadian steel and aluminum was not a national security threat to America, and that Canadians found it an “insulting” position for Trump to take.

Other leaders, like U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, said she made the same argument.

Trump said “they virtually didn’t even make that case.”

Finally, Trump and Trudeau each clung to their red-lines on NAFTA.

“A trade deal with a sunset clause is not a trade deal and so therefore we will not accept a sunset clause of five, 10, whatever duration is proposed by the President,” Trudeau told reporters.

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Trump had agreed to the vague language on trade in the consensus document, the result of late-night discussions with the other G7 leaders in a lounge at the leaders’ hotel after an outdoor cultural show.

Those talks continued between Trump’s and Trudeau’s top aides until about 2:30 in the morning, and were not finalized until just before Trump held his own closing news conference Friday morning.

At his news conference, it was Trump who surprised his allies, lobbing threats of more sanctions against other countries, saying that unless they removed all tariffs, non-tariff barriers and all subsidies, he would cut trading ties with them.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a stern warning on trade to foreign countries at the Group of Seven summit on Saturday, urging trading partners not to retaliate against U.S. tariffs on the imports of steel and aluminum. (The Associated Press)

“The gig is up,” Trump told reporters before skipping two sessions on climate change and oceans protection and heading to the airport.

“They have no choice. If it’s not going to change, we’re not going to trade with them.”

Trump said the days of “unfair trade deals” are over.

“We’re like the piggy bank that everybody’s robbing and that ends.”

By the end of the day, it was clearer than ever that despite all their talk, the two sides remain deadlocked on key issues at the NAFTA talks, and there is no real path forward for what the next steps toward seriously resolving these issues should be.

Furthermore, Trump’s threat to extend tariffs to autos would be devastating to the Canadian and American industries, which insist they are an integrated supply chain.

At a closing news conference, the Canadian prime minister declared the summit had been a success because despite “frank disagreements” all seven leaders supported the communiqué on trade and other issues, as well as committing to significant financial measures to empower women and girls through education, training and business development.

“What we were able to do this weekend is come together to get big things done.”

But the U.S. remained an outlier on climate change and did not sign onto two key commitments in that regard, and Japan joined the Americans in declining to sign a plastics charter.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says attacks on Justin Trudeau from U.S. President Donald Trump and his aides won’t help Canada-U.S. relations. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer agreed the U.S. rhetoric is “not helpful.” (The Canadian Press)

The final communiqué had vague endorsements of the importance of working to ensure a “clean environment, clean air and clean water.”

The United States stood alone in refusing to sign the joint statement on climate change which restated the importance of the Paris accord on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement.

On climate change, it was G6 +1.

But Trump got unanimous support for his efforts on his coming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump said he’ll know very soon whether he will like the man, and whether he is serious about reaching an agreement with him.

“I think within the first minute I’ll know. Just my touch, my feel. That’s what I do.”

The G7 leaders set aside their differences after an evening fireside cultural show and worked into the evening to find common language they could agree on given the widening gulf with the U.S.

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