Donald Trump gives a 10-out-of-10 to his relationship with G7 countries

LA MALBAIE, Que. — U.S. President Donald Trump is concluding his brief trip to Canada saying his relationship with the G7 countries is a 10 out of 10, and reports of rifts between the powerful countries are simply “fake news.”

In a news conference at the G7 summit in La Malbaie before leaving for Singapore to meet with the North Korean leader, Trump is reiterating his contentious case that Russia should be re-invited back into the G7 because a G8 would be more meaningful.

On Canada, he is repeating his criticism of Canadian dairy but says he wants to make a deal on NAFTA, with two different types of sunset clauses — a stumbling block for Canada in the past.

And he says his steel and aluminum tariffs are based on legitimate national security concerns, rebuffing the concerns of allies.

The other G7 leaders will meet without him for the rest of the day, discussing climate change and international development.

The Canadian Press